Overview
The EU is facing a housing crisis with a lack of affordable, sustainable, and inclusive housing. Many EU citizens are currently faced with poor living conditions. According to Eurostat data, in 2022, 16.8% of EU citizens lived in overcrowded households, with higher rates in Eastern Europe. Energy poverty is also on the rise, with 9.3% of the EU population unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2022. The recent surge in energy and fuel prices has worsened this situation. Other factors that impact the quality of housing include, leaking roofs, damp walls, floors or foundations, or rot in window frames or floors, which were experienced by 14.8% of EU citizens in 2020. The cost of housing is also a burden, with 10.8% of the EU population living in a household where housing costs represent more than 40% of disposable income, in 2022.
Housing inequality, defined as disparity in the access, affordability, quality of housing conditions and availability of housing between different groups of people, affects many in the EU, with those living in or at risk of poverty disproportionately impacted. The quality of housing goes beyond the physical structure of a building and has impacts on health and well-being, economic and working conditions, and social cohesion. Poor quality housing has a harmful impact on society and leads to social exclusion by depriving occupants of social and economic opportunities.
HouseInc will address housing inequalities by contributing to policy measures that will seek to increase access to affordable, inclusive and sustainable housing for marginalised groups in society.
The overall objective of the HouseInc project is to deeply analyse interlinked dimensions of housing inequalities, with a particular focus on marginalised communities – through innovative methodologies and approaches. HouseInc will assess and test drivers of and impacts on micro/meso/macro levels to identify interlinkages among ecological (environmental), social (labour, mobility, health and family), and economic (income, energy price) conditions and address the multidimensionality of housing inequality. By taking a holistic approach, HouseInc will provide solutions that aim to relieve the burden of housing inequality in 4 marginalised communities in Europe.
How can we turn Europe’s building stock into healthy and affordable homes for all?
HouseInc will investigate the economic, social and ecological drivers and effects of housing inequality to derive and co-design high-quality policy recommendations for local, regional and national policymakers to foster the adoption of effective and innovative measures to address current housing inequality in Europe.
HouseInc will explore:
The drivers of housing inequality and their interaction with related issues: energy and mobility poverty, digital dimensions, employment opportunities, family conditions and health.
Assess the impacts at geographical scale by examining the urban/local and local/regional vs national conditions and will investigate how proximity or distance to work, energy, transport and health infrastructure and services impacts the different dimensions of housing inequalities.
By providing a complete understanding of the drivers and effects of the various interlinking dimensions of housing inequality and translating them into policy recommendations and adaptable solutions to housing inequalities, HouseInc will help to mitigate the impacts of income and wealth polarization. The project will prioritize marginalized and vulnerable groups in its research, with diversity dimensions such as gender playing a crucial role in achieving a just energy transition and ensuring affordable, sustainable, and inclusive housing. Social justice is at the heart of HouseInc and the project will support the most vulnerable communities by identifying the systemic barriers to housing equality.
Beyond the 4 pilot countries, the project will also have a wider impact by directly contributing to at least 9 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGS). The project ‘s holistic and systemic approach to understanding housing inequalities will help contribute to reducing inequalities and mitigating poverty, enhancing health and wellbeing, gender equality, providing good housing conditions and basic services (clean water, electricity), and the development of sustainable and inclusive cities and communities throughout Europe.
Key project outputs
Policy recommendations to provide guidelines for policymakers.
A multinational survey to better understand the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and COVID 19 on housing inequality.
Establish multistakeholder Living Labs to co-design solutions at local and regional levels.
HouseInc has 6 main objectives:
Apply a holistic and shared integrated methodological approach combining micro-meso-macro analysis to study interlinkages among dimensions of housing inequalities as well as socio-demographic characteristics of marginalised communities.
Assess and help policymakers understand economic, social and ecological drivers of and related effects on housing inequalities and examine pathways and impacts of their interaction.
Analyse and assess the effects of different types of tenure and policies on housing inequalities.
Investigate the role of geographic scale and conceptualize proximity/distance regarding fragilities in dimensions of housing inequality.
Map, co-design and scale-up social, economic and ecologic/digital solutions to housing inequalities in the context of marginalised communities.
Derive, co-design and validate empirically based and high-quality policy recommendations to address interlinked dimensions of housing inequality on the local, regional and national level.
Countries
The HouseInc consortium is investigating the intricacies of existing housing policies, analyzing their impacts on inequality, and exploring both financial and socio-environmental factors that contribute to housing disparities. The project is focused on how these issues affect vulnerable populations, such as women, children and minorities. As part of their in-depth exploration, HouseInc is examining housing inequality through four diverse case studies across Europe.
B y taking a holistic approach , HouseInc will provide solutions that aim to relieve the burden of housing inequality in 4 marginalised communities in Europe (Roma communities (in Czech Republic and Romania ) as well as Ukrainian refugees (in Italy ) and migrants from Eastern Europe (in Germany ). The selected case studies put a special focus on Eastern Europe and the impact of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine.
Activities include interviews, analysing the policy framework, participatory focus groups with the case study communities to identify drivers and impacts of housing inequalities, and more.
Resources/materials
Join the project community on Zenodo!
Newsletter
Research papers
Rent control effects through the lens of empirical research: an almost complete review of the literature, by DIW Berlin, March 2024 Zheng, L.; McKenna, E. Machine Learning with Administrative Data for Energy Poverty Identification in the UK . Energies 2025 , 18 , 3054. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18123054 (gold open access)
Konstantin Arkadievich Kholodilin, The effects of government interventions on housing market: A meta-study of empirical literature , Journal of Housing Economics, Volume 73, 2026, 102155, ISSN 1051-1377, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2026.102155.
HouseInc at eceee 2026:
Reports
The following reports are added as they become available. Please note they are still subject to the European Commission’s approval.
D1.8 – Project’s Ethical Research Guidelines , 2024, Fraunhofer ISID2.1 – State of the art literature report , 2024, Fraunhofer ISID2.2 – Conceptual Framework , 2024, Fraunhofer ISID3.1 – Report on selection of datasets and indicators for selected countries , 2025, ISASD3.2 – Report on drivers of financial levels of housing inequality , 2026, ISASD3.3 – Meta-study on effects of housing policies , 2025, DIW (updated October 2025)D3.4 – Multinational database of housing market regulations: excel database and additional material, DIW, 2025
D3.5 – Report on impact of wealth and income inequality on housing markets , 2026, ISASD4.1 – Effects of energy poverty incl. the analysis of the multinational survey , 2026, imecD4.2 – Smart meter data model for identification of energy poverty , 2025, UCLD4.3 – Report on impacts of wider housing Inequalities , 2025, UNEXED4.4 – Report on effects of climate change using the case of overheating , 2026, UNEXED5.9 – Interlinkages of housing inequalities: Findings from the case studies , 2025, ISID5.11 – Capacity-building toolkit for addressing housing inequalities , 2026, UNIBOD6.1 – Atlas of existing solutions addressing housing inequalities , 2025, BOCCONI – see the next tab for the atlas.
D6.3 – Roadmap to scaling-up identified solutions, incl. at least 10 factsheets , 2026, BOCCONID8.1 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (V1) , IEECP, 2024D8.2 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (CDEP, Version 2) , 2025, IEECPD8.3 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (CDEP, final) , 2026, IEECPD8.6 – Report on communication and dissemination activities (Version 1) , 2025, IEECP
Coming soon
D5.10 – Database on housing inequalities in the case studies (incl. infographics), DATA & infog, M33, UNIBO
D6.2 – Report on Living Labs solutions for addressing housing inequalities, M27, UNIBO
D7.1 – Synthesis of project results and first draft of policy recommendations, M27, EPG
D7.2 – Country snapshot reports, M29, EPG
D7.3 – 2nd draft of policy recommendations, M31, EPG
D7.4 – Set of policy briefs, M36, EPG
D8.7 – Report on communication and dissemination activities (final), M36
Multimedia – Brochures, infographics and posters
Media – Articles
Videos
VIDEO
VIDEO
VIDEO
Atlas of housing solutions
This work maps and analyses 222 solutions defined as initiatives and innovations devoted to tackling housing inequalities.
The atlas is a dataset that maps and analyses housing solutions across Europe in relation to three core dimensions: affordability, sustainability, and inclusivity.
HouseInc investigated solutions falling within:
financial solutions or innovative business models (“affordability”),
technical / technological and digital solutions (“sustainability”), and
social innovations (“inclusivity”).
To do so, partners perform a desk analysis relying on multiple data sources, an extended literature and database search, and input from consortium partners (through participation in a virtual workshop). The desk research is complemented by up to 15 (virtual) interviews with stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of interesting “cases” and up to 5 site visits of interesting “cases” throughout Europe.
The aim is to showcase best practices, i.e. promising business models, technological innovations and social innovation practices, that might inform the crafting of new solutions. The resulting deliverable combines a comprehensive Atlas about currently fragmented solutions as well as guidelines for policy, academic and community stakeholders involved in the housing sector.
Download the user guide slidedeck
Download the atlas as an Excel (it will download it) or navigate it below.
10 housing solutions
Over the past three years, the EU-funded HouseInc project set out to answer a simple question: How can we make housing fairer and more inclusive for everyone?
HouseInc researchers compiled initiatives and innovations devoted to tackling housing inequalities: 222 solutions mapped and analysed in relation to three core dimensions; affordability, sustainability, and inclusivity, in an atlas freely available. The research was then completed by empirical surveys and targeted focus groups with key policy, financial, and community stakeholders, leading to the development of 10 solutions factsheets. Each presents an actionable pathway to tackle housing inequality across Europe, translating rigorous evidence into practice.
These pathways explicitly reflect the HouseInc dimensions:Affordability , understood as the adoption of financial solutions or innovative business models;Sustainability , referring to the development of technical, technological, and digital solutions; andInclusivity , understood as the promotion of social innovations capable of widening access and responding to the needs of vulnerable groups.
Designed to inform and support municipal governments, social housing providers, investors, and policymakers, the briefings outline the core problem, operational setup, enabling conditions, and potential barriers to help adapt and scale effective housing initiatives at both national and European levels, with a focus on vulnerable populations.
Deep-dive research meets actionable policy – 10 factsheets
Affordability :
Inclusivity
Sustainability
Cross-cutting
Sister projects
Meet the projects!
ReHousIn – The European project ReHousIn: Reducing Housing Inequalities aims to spark innovative policy solutions towards inclusionary and quality housing. Website – LinkedIn
EqualHouse – EqualHouse is a research project that aims to identify key housing inequalities across Europe, analyze their scale and causes, and provide guidance for policymakers. – Website – LinkedIn
Prefigure – Pathways to inclusive, affordable, and sustainable housing – Website – LinkedIn
Prolight – Affordable housing for remodelled neighbourhoods across Europe- Website – LinkedIn
Powgen – Labor insertion of migrant people in the renewable energy sector and energy rehabilitation through training and sustainable employment opportunities – Website – LinkedIn
Key joint activities
Joint webinars
Life. Spaces. Buildings. Festival of the New European Bauhaus HouseInc joined the 3rd edition of the New European Bauhaus festival , in Brussels (Belgium) on June 12, 2026, in Brussels for a satellite event .
Contacts / social media
Project coordinators
Dr. Anne Kantel, Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI, [email protected]
Dr. Sabine Preuß , Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung ISI, [email protected]
Communication Lead
Marine Faber Perrio, IEECP, [email protected]
