PULSE - Europe beyond the beat

The phenomenon

Home wanted: Europe without places for asylum seekers as winter sets in

Pressure on the European housing system for asylum seekers is a widespread problem in EU countries

by Silvia Martelli (Il Sole 24 Ore), Adrian Burtin (Voxeurop, Belgium), Noel Baker (The Journal Investigates, Ireland) and Dimitris Angelidis (Greece, EfSyn)

20 December 2025

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Every year, with the arrival of winter, the issue of the reception of asylum seekers returns to the centre of European political debate. But in 2025, the pressure on the housing system is no longer just seasonal: it has become structural. From the urban belt of Brussels to the isolated camps of mainland Greece via Italy, the European Union is confronted with a chronic shortage of housing for those seeking international protection. A crisis aggravated by government cuts, administrative delays and, in some cases, a clear strategy of deterrence.

Greece: fields, isolation and cuts

In Greece, state reception of asylum seekers takes place almost exclusively in camps, often located in isolated areas without adequate connections. As of October 2025, some 22,400 people were living in facilities with a theoretical higher capacity, but in practice access to available places is often denied. Reports by independent organisations describe conditions that do not meet minimum standards: shortages of winter clothing, essential goods distributed in insufficient quantities, intermittent services and lack of integration measures.

Almost 9,000 vulnerable people were identified in the first nine months of 2025, but without dedicated facilities. The 'Stirixis' programme, announced in 2022 to provide urban housing for extremely vulnerable people, has never been launched. Even for recognised refugees, the situation remains critical: the Helios+ programme, which provides rent subsidies and integration pathways, is undersized compared to the needs and is proceeding with severe delays. In autumn 2025, the government announced the abolition of rent subsidies, fuelling controversy and political tensions.

Italy: widespread reception, but under pressure

The Italian reception system is divided between first reception centres, extraordinary reception centres and the Reception and Integration System (SAI), managed by local authorities. In 2025, more than 870 SAI projects were active, coordinated by about 2,000 municipalities, involving more than 55,000 people included in housing and social integration paths.

The Italian model focuses on the territorial spread of accommodation, avoiding large concentrations, and on the connection with local services. However, the system remains exposed to the pressure of flows and to the scarcity of housing available in the territories, in a context of growing tension on the housing market. Access to public housing is also formally guaranteed to holders of international protection, but competition with other vulnerable groups severely limits the possibilities of stable housing integration.

France: when welcome becomes orientation

On the European scene, France represents one of the few cases in which reception has taken on a more structured dimension. Alongside traditional centres, the country has developed a network of Reception and Orientation Centres: facilities that offer not only temporary accommodation but also administrative, health and social support. Often housed in refurbished buildings, these centres aim to facilitate access to the asylum procedure and the subsequent search for stable accommodation. Although not without its criticalities, the French model is often referred to as a good practice because it reduces recourse to purely emergency solutions and strengthens the link with the territories.

Belgium, a saturated system generating precariousness

In Belgium, the reception of asylum seekers is mainly managed by Fedasil, the federal agency that coordinates collective centres and individual accommodation in cooperation with NGOs, local authorities and public welfare centres. As of 1 November 2025, Fedasil had 34,900 places, with an occupancy rate of 93%: 32,334 people were accommodated, 87% in collective facilities. There were 1,782 people on the waiting list.

In 2024, there were 39,615 applications for international protection, an increase of 11.6% compared to the previous year. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, during 2024 the number of people left on the waiting list each month fluctuated between 2,000 and 4,000, without access to official accommodation for an average of four months. The result is a spread of precarious housing, with people forced to sleep on the streets or in makeshift accommodation.

Despite the opening of new places and the acceleration of procedures, the system remains structurally overloaded. The prospect of a future reduction in available places, announced by the government, risks further aggravating the situation.

Ireland, a generalised housing crisis

In Ireland, the pressure on the reception system is intertwined with a generalised housing crisis. The country had an established network of facilities for asylum seekers, often converted from hotels and hostels. After the pandemic, however, arrivals increased rapidly: from 7,224 people accommodated at the end of 2021 to 19,104 within twelve months, to the 32,656 recorded in November 2025.

Today, 323 centres house asylum seekers, but the majority are emergency facilities. In some cases, single men have been placed in tented accommodation: 406 people were still in this condition in November, a figure down on the previous year but indicative of the pressure on the system. At the same time, a new phenomenon is emerging: people who, once granted protection status, leave the centres without being able to find housing and end up homeless.

All this takes place in an increasingly tense political climate, marked by protests by the extreme right and incidents of violence against reception facilities.

A receding Europe

Belgium, Ireland, Greece and Italy show different patterns, but a common trajectory: the EU's difficulty in guaranteeing a fundamental right such as housing to those seeking protection. As winter advances, reception remains entrusted to temporary solutions and local initiatives. In the absence of structural housing policies, the risk is that the asylum crisis will turn into a wider social crisis.

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse"