Greece’s National Confederation of Disabled People (ESAmeA) has submitted a comprehensive package of proposals calling for accessible and affordable housing to be placed at the heart of the country’s National Housing Strategy.
The recommendations were submitted to the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family and through the government’s public consultation platform. According to ESAmeA, the proposals are based, among other principles, on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Rising housing costs hit people with disabilities hardest
ESAmeA argues that rising housing costs and the limited availability of accessible homes place a disproportionate burden on people with disabilities. Renting or purchasing a home that meets accessibility requirements often comes at a significantly higher cost than a standard property, making suitable housing increasingly difficult to secure.
The confederation warns that the shortage of accessible and affordable housing forces many people with disabilities, chronic illnesses or rare diseases to leave their homes or, in some cases, enter institutional care. Those transitioning from institutional care to independent living also face unsuitable housing conditions and discrimination when searching for accommodation.
The organization also highlights barriers to accessing financial services and the higher energy costs faced by many people with disabilities, particularly those who rely on medical equipment or require specific heating or cooling conditions. These additional expenses increase the risk of both housing and energy poverty.
ESAmeA stresses that accessibility standards benefit not only people with disabilities but also older adults, making homes suitable throughout a person’s lifetime and supporting independent living for longer.
Key proposals
Among its recommendations, ESAmeA calls for accessibility to be explicitly included in the National Housing Strategy by replacing references to “affordable and quality housing” with “affordable, accessible and quality housing.” It also urges the government to integrate disability considerations across all housing policy measures.
The organization proposes applying universal design principles and mandatory accessibility standards to new housing developments, social housing, student accommodation and shared residential spaces.
It also recommends introducing dedicated eligibility criteria and higher levels of financial support for people with disabilities and their families, along with priority access to housing assistance, home purchase and rental programs.
Additional proposals include linking energy-efficiency grants to accessibility improvements, covering the extra costs of adapting homes for accessibility, facilitating access to bank financing, reducing or exempting taxes related to purchasing or renovating homes, and providing incentives for landlords to make rental properties more accessible.
New tools to improve housing access
ESAmeA is also calling for the creation of a technical support service to advise people on adapting their homes and accessing available funding programs.
Another key proposal is the establishment of a national registry of accessible homes, which would record the available housing stock and provide reliable data to help improve the effectiveness of future housing policies.
The confederation noted that the full announcement has been checked using Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker and confirmed to be fully accessible for readers with disabilities.
