IN-HABIT: EU Housing Project

Access to housing is a fundamental human right. However, for many people with disabilities, the desire to live autonomously is often thwarted by a severe shortage of accessible and affordable housing, long waiting lists, and a lack of personalised support services.

To address this, we are working alongside European partners on the IN-HABIT project. Our goal is to foster inclusive housing solutions by strengthening the capacity of housing professionals, service providers, and local authorities to better support people with disabilities.

This project takes shape within the context of a deepening housing crisis across the European Union. While new initiatives—such as the European Affordable Housing Plan signal a strong political commitment to affordable housing, there is a risk that the specific needs of our community could be overlooked. Through IN-HABIT, DFI is working to ensure that disability inclusion remains at the heart of these housing developments.

Our aims

Through this collaboration, DFI and our partners aim to:

  • Identify skills gaps and good practices: We are identifying skills gaps in housing services across key EU countries, while actively collecting and consolidating good practices in person-centred support to inform future policy in Ireland and Europe.
  • Strengthen the capacity of the sector: We aim to enhance the capacity of housing professionals, local authorities, and service providers. Our goal is to help them design and sustain innovative housing models that facilitate the transition of people with disabilities into community living.
  • Improve access through digital tools: We are working to enhance access to inclusive housing services through digital technologies, engaging circles of support to foster inclusive community development.
  • Foster dialogue and policy innovation: DFI is committed to strengthening dialogue among stakeholders to enhance workforce preparedness in local authorities and foster cross-sectoral collaboration.

Main target groups

  • Housing professionals
  • Service providers for persons with disabilities
  • Local authority professionals
  • People with disabilities and their circle of support members.

Key activities

As part of the project, DFI will help deliver the following:

  • Research and reporting: A "state of play" report regarding the challenges faced by Irish and European housing professionals and local authorities in making housing stock inclusive.
  • Digital innovation: The establishment of an interactive digital orientation hub (MyService) to provide access to community resources and essential support services.
  • Training an education:
    • Train the trainers: Workshops to equip professionals with tools to deliver inclusive housing training.
    • MOOC: The development of a Massive Open Online Course for self-paced learning.
  • Local piloting in Ireland: DFI will facilitate in-person local piloting workshops in Ireland (one of the five focus countries) for all target groups.
  • Policy recommendations: We will develop recommendations to inform local policy roundtables in Ireland, supporting their translation into actionable roadmaps.

Partnership

We are proud to work in a consortium coordinated by the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities, EASPD.

Our partners include:

  • Ireland: Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI)
  • Belgium: European Housing Network (EURHONET)
  • France: DELPHIS
  • Italy: Azienda Casa Emilia-Romagna (ACER) di Reggio Emilia
  • Greece: PETAGMA Association
  • Hungary: ÉTA National Association
  • Poland: Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC)

Project Duration: 1 December 2025 – 30 November 2028.