In a joint response, the Minister for Family Affairs Corinne Cahen, the Minister of Health Paulette Lenert and Minister of Education Claude Meisch said this figure has multiplied by 4 over the last 9 years, answering the parliamentary query submitted by Pirate MP Marc Georgen.
There are currently three night shelters in the capital to accommodate people without homes. One of the centres opened in May 2021 and is exclusively open to women.
Last winter, the “Wanteraktioun” initiative allowed 1,500 people to find shelter. The extended campaign counted over 30,000 overnight stays between 16 November 2020 and 30 June 2021.
New projects are in the pipeline for 2022, such as a shelter aimed at the elderly without permanent homes. This will be put together in Berbourg, in collaboration with the retirement home Haaptmann’s Schlass.
Cahen added that the Housing-First structures would also be developed further. These are designed to give homeless people options to eventually move into permanent housing so they can stabilise their personal situations. Another Housing-First structure is in development, aimed at women.
There are plans to conduct a census of Luxembourg’s homeless population, so support services can target the issue specifically.
The help available for homeless people with addiction issues will be expanded.
Through the emergency accommodation voucher, which was introduced five years ago and applies to people aged 27 and under, 70 young people were offered a bed in 2020, and by the end of November this year, that number had risen to 86 young people with 1,300 overnight stays.
Work is currently underway on an alternative concept for the emergency accommodation voucher, which not only provides a place to sleep, but also offers additional pedagogical support. It is likely to be launched next year.
