ABSTRACT
In contrast to most European countries, Norway has experienced a decline in the number of homeless people. The decline can be explained by two factors: a sustained political commitment and the implementation of housing-led policies. Although housing remains the ‘wobbly pillar’ of the welfare state, national authorities have developed new legislative and financial tools to assist the homeless and other disadvantaged groups in the housing market. Within a liberalized and market-driven housing policy, characterized by a weak statutory right to housing, the long-lasting national programme activity accompanied by earmarked funding to the municipalities has been instrumental in combatting homelessness.
