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Denmark’s social affairs minister is urging the EU to tackle the growing institutionalisation of people with disabilities by ensuring affordable housing.
The EU should address the growing number of persons with disabilities living in institutions in its upcoming plans for affordable housing, Denmark’s minister for social affairs and housing told Euronews.
“We need to work on housing first, but in order to do that we need affordable housing, and it’s the same about independent living,” Sophie Hæstorp Andersen said in an interview. “We need to secure more independently living, but that also means securing affordable housing.”
Although international agreements call for the independence and inclusion of people who need care or support, many EU member states still rely heavily on large-scale institutional living.
Around two million people with disabilities live in institutions in the EU, according to the latest available figures from 2020. The majority are people with intellectual disabilities or complex support needs.
