"The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." Maya Angelou 

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states: “The enjoyment of these rights entails responsibilities and duties with regard to future generations.” 

Yet, for many young Europeans, the possibility of building a stable future feels increasingly out of reach. Rising living costs, difficulties entering the labour market, precarious employment, and concerns about long-term economic security are shaping the prospects of younger generations in ways that differ from those of their parents and grandparents. 

Recognising growing concerns about whether young Europeans enjoy the same opportunities as previous generations, the European Commission adopted its first Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. The initiative seeks to ensure that current policies consider their long-term impact on future generations, a goal that is also highly relevant in the context of housing affordability. 

The Youth Wiki report "Youth access to affordable and quality housing: A comparative analysis of national policies" (2026) highlights the scale of the challenge facing young people across Europe. Evidence shows that young people are disproportionately affected by overcrowding, housing cost overburden and housing deprivation. For many, access to adequate housing has become a major obstacle to achieving independence and building long-term life plans. 

For many young Europeans, the question is no longer simply where they would like to study, work or build a future, but where they can still afford to live. 

As the report highlights, housing affordability is one of the main concerns expressed by young people. Nearly one in four young Europeans aged 16–30 identified housing affordability as their greatest concern for the future. More than a third believe that the EU should increase investment in affordable housing and cost-of-living support. Despite these concerns, measures directly supporting young people’s access to rental housing remain relatively limited in many countries. The shortage of social and affordable housing further restricts available options. 

Increasingly, the debate is shifting beyond affordability alone towards whether housing systems themselves need to be rethought. 

One possible approach is intergenerational housing. These models bring together younger and older residents in shared or connected living arrangements based on mutual support. In several projects, students or young professionals benefit from reduced rent in exchange for companionship or practical assistance to older residents. 

Examples already exist across Europe. In the Netherlands, the Humanitas model allows students to live alongside older residents in exchange for volunteering time and social support. In Denmark, the House of Generations project brings together residents of different ages within the same housing community. 

Such models could address multiple challenges at once. Younger people could benefit from lower housing costs and greater stability, while older residents could receive social support, assistance with daily life and protection against isolation. More broadly, these approaches treat housing not only as an economic commodity but also as social infrastructure capable of strengthening solidarity between generations. 

This aligns closely with the EU’s emphasis on intergenerational solidarity. If intergenerational fairness means ensuring that future generations inherit not only economic burdens but also genuine opportunities, then housing must become part of that conversation. The European housing crisis is therefore not only about prices, rents or supply shortages. It is also about the kind of social contract Europe wants to maintain between generations. 

The question is no longer simply whether younger Europeans are being priced out of housing. It is whether they are being priced out of Europe’s future itself. 

Author: Anna Rudmann; Editors: Anna Maria Volpe, David Crosier