Portugal Moves 1,345 People Off Streets in 2024, but Homelessness Climbs

A growing number of people in Portugal are finally closing the door on street life. Official data show that 1,345 men and women transitioned from homelessness to permanent housing in 2024, the strongest annual result recorded since 2018. Yet the headline victory comes with a warning: the overall tally of people without a stable home has continued to climb, underscoring how hard it is to turn individual success stories into a nationwide trend.

At a glance

• 1,345 individuals secured long-term housing in 2024 – a six-year high

• National homeless count still rose to 14,476, up 10% year-on-year

• Lisboa posted a 7.6% drop, while Barcelos led the country in exits from homelessness

• New ENIPSSA 2025-2030 strategy aims to move the needle from 2025

• Experts flag housing costs, mental-health care and job access as make-or-break factors

A record many can celebrate

For advocates who have spent years pushing for housing-first programmes, the 2024 figures feel like vindication. More than a thousand people left emergency shelters, hostels or the street for good, and early follow-ups suggest most are maintaining their leases. The Social Security Institute attributes the rise to a larger funding envelope for permanent housing subsidies and to tighter coordination between municipalities, charities and health services.In plain numbers, last year saw 209 more exits than in 2023 and nearly double the 2020 count, when the pandemic briefly disrupted field work.

Why the big picture still looks fragile

Zooming out, Portugal’s homelessness map remains worrying. Official surveys put 14,476 residents in precarious accommodation at year-end 2024, roughly the population of a mid-size Alentejo town. A spike in first-time homelessness among migrants in Lisbon and Algarve offset the progress made elsewhere.Housing economists note that rents for a basic T1/T2 in Lisbon average €1,200, far above the spending power of workers on the minimum wage. Without stronger rent caps or a bigger stock of social housing, they argue, gains risk being temporary.

Behind the turnaround: joined-up policy rather than miracles

Government officials insist that 2024’s milestone was not the product of one silver bullet but of five overlapping policy levers:

Housing First expansion – permanent flats leased directly by municipalities, with the state covering market-level rents.

Targeted job schemes – wage subsidies and on-the-job coaching for former rough sleepers.

Mental-health outreach teams, now active in all 18 districts.

Re-tooled Social Network Programme, favouring local coalitions that can pool data and share case managers.

Emergency rent funds to stop evictions before they happen.

Collectively, the measures commanded €70 M in 2024, a jump of 40% over the previous year’s allocation.

Barcelos: Portugal’s unlikely case study

Few would have predicted that a 34,000-inhabitant town in the Minho would become a benchmark, yet Barcelos helped the highest number of people exit homelessness in 2024.Key to its success is the partnership Um Teto para Todos, which mixes shared housing, intensive social work and a no-questions-asked rental guarantee from the municipality. The local arm of the charity GASC manages day-to-day support, while the Housing and Urban Renewal Institute covers property renovations. Officials say that 92% of participants remain housed after 12 months, well above the European average for similar programmes.

Voices from the field: progress, but don’t declare victory

Social workers on Lisbon’s Avenida Almirante Reis speak of a changing client base. “Rough sleepers are younger and increasingly foreign-born,” says Marta Faria from Comunidade Vida e Paz. “Finding rooms is tough even with a voucher.”Academics add that health-care gaps and addiction services have not kept pace with need. A study by ISCTE University estimates that 1 in 3 homeless adults battles untreated mental illness, making retention in housing programmes harder.Henrique Joaquim, executive manager of the forthcoming national strategy, warns that “2024 should be viewed as momentum, not mission accomplished.”

What changes once ENIPSSA 2025-2030 kicks in?

Starting next year, the revamped national plan promises regular audits, shared databases and a legal right to housing support for the most vulnerable. It sets a headline target: cut visible street homelessness by 50% within five years.Funding is slated to rise again, bolstered by EU cohesion money and an earmarked share of tourism taxes. Still, analysts stress that “governance will matter as much as euros.” Municipalities must submit local road maps by March or risk losing access to central funds.

What residents should watch in 2025

For people living in Portugal, three indicators will signal whether 2024’s progress is durable:

• Number of new evictions – a surge would negate exit gains.

• Social-housing units delivered, especially in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve.

• Retention rate of those rehoused in 2024.

If those metrics trend in the right direction, Portugal could finally bend the homelessness curve downward. If not, 2024 may go down as an encouraging but short-lived bright spot.