Housing insecurity, energy poverty and social exclusion are becoming increasingly intertwined challenges across European cities. Recent debates over rising rents, evictions, tourism pressures, and access to affordable housing have renewed attention to a fundamental question: how can Europe ensure everyone has access to a safe, affordable, and comfortable home? Against this backdrop, the EU-funded HouseInc project has spent the past three years investigating the structural causes of housing marginalisation and, crucially, identifying solutions that can help make housing systems fairer and more resilient.

Bringing together researchers, policymakers, financial actors and local communities, HouseInc has mapped and analysed 222 initiatives and innovations addressing housing inequalities across three interconnected dimensions: affordability, sustainability and inclusivity. From innovative financing and business models to energy-efficient renovation, technological solutions, community-led housing and inclusive governance, the resulting open-access atlas provides a broad picture of how different approaches are already responding to housing challenges across Europe. This research was complemented by empirical surveys and targeted focus groups with policy, financial, and community stakeholders, helping identify the conditions that enable promising solutions to succeed and be replicated.

Building on this evidence, the project has developed 10 solution factsheets that translate research into actionable pathways for tackling housing inequality. Each briefing examines the problem addressed, how the solution operates, the conditions needed for implementation and the potential barriers to adaptation and scaling. Designed for municipal authorities, social housing providers, investors and policymakers, the publication offers practical guidance for turning proven ideas into action, particularly for vulnerable populations. Together, the factsheets demonstrate that addressing Europe’s housing crisis requires more than increasing supply: it means aligning affordability, sustainability and inclusivity so that the transition towards better-performing homes also delivers greater social equity.