Across Europe, thousands of people with intellectual disabilities are still knocking on closed doors when it comes to one of the most fundamental human rights: the right to live independently and be part of the community. It’s a right enshrined in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — yet for many, it remains stubbornly out of reach. Indeed ensuring the right of persons with intellectual disabilities to live independently and participate fully in the community is a core obligation under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, article 19). However, despite this legal commitment, significant structural barriers continue to restrict access to adequate, affordable and accessible housing across Europe.
The housing crisis isn’t helping. With social and affordable homes in short supply and an ageing, often inaccessible housing stock, people with intellectual disabilities often find themselves trapped in a maze of inadequate options, long waiting lists, and costly compromises. Add in the chronic shortage of in-home support staff, and the journey toward autonomous living becomes even steeper.
But amid these structural hurdles, a quiet revolution is taking shape — one powered not only by innovative housing models, but also by technology.
Tech as a Door-Opener
Digital tools hold the potential of being catalysts for independence. From smart home features that make everyday tasks simpler and safer, to platforms that connect people with services, support networks, and remote assistance, technology is helping transform homes. As researchers Tassé, Wagner and Kim noted, technology can enable people to “accomplish things that would have otherwise been impossible.”
Yet despite the promise, digital solutions for independent living remain on the fringes — innovative, yes, but still treated as experimental. Professional practices are fragmented across Europe. Knowledge is scattered, and costs sometime clash with the ultimate goal of offering affordable living solutions. Scaling up what works remains a challenge.
A New European Project Takes Off
Against this backdrop, a consortium of organisations active in disability, housing and social innovation has launched a new three-year initiative: HS4IL – Housing Solutions for Independent Living, an Erasmus+ KA2 project coordinated by APEMH Foundation (LU), which enjoys a very committed partnership composed of organization belonging to the disability and housing sectors from 5 EU Countries: ARFIE (EU), Housing Europe (EU),), OpenGroup (IT), AMPANS(ES), Live Foundation (FI), and CERCINA (PT).
Their mission is ambitious: identify what works, analyse emerging innovations, and co-create practical tools that make independent living not just an aspiration, but a standard.
The HS4IL team is grappling with some of the sector’s most pressing questions:
- What kind of housing solutions that are both affordable and accessible?
- Which technologies genuinely support autonomy, not just convenience?
- How can these solutions be introduced at scale — and sustainably?
To answer them, the consortium is mapping promising practices across Europe, uncovering both the barriers and the opportunities that shape the digital transition in housing for people with disabilities. The initiative responds to growing European policy priorities, including the EU Disability Strategy 2021–2030, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the forthcoming European Affordable Housing Plan. HS4IL aligns closely with EU ambitions to foster inclusive digital transitions, strengthen community-based support systems, and promote deinstitutionalisation.
Over the next three years, HS4IL Partnership will:
- Identify and analyse housing practices that incorporate digital tools and technologies supporting autonomy, self-determination and community participation of persons with intellectual disabilities.
- Map barriers and enabling factors for the adoption of digital solutions within housing environments, through structured engagement with stakeholders from disability services, housing providers, technology developers and public authorities.
- Co-produce a European inventory of innovative practices, consolidating tools, technologies and support models that can be replicated and scaled across diverse regional contexts.
- Develop and apply a Living Lab methodology, enabling co-creation, user involvement, and systematic testing of innovative housing support approaches.
- Formulate recommendations to strengthen digital skills among persons with disabilities, to ensure that technology adoption is equitable and empowering.
- Establish a community of practice to support professionals in integrating digital tools effectively into independent living support frameworks.
A Long Journey — And a Necessary One
With Europe’s housing landscape under pressure, the urgency is real. HS4IL is not just another project; it’s a strategic attempt to rethink how housing, technology and human support intertwine — and how they can finally align to deliver on the promise of Article 19. It’s also a way to explore synergies between housing and services providers and encourage strategic and effective partnership between professionals in both sectors, so as to guarantee the most suitable and adapted offer to their users. For the partners involved, this is more than a work programme. It’s a mission that will keep them busy for the next three years… and very likely well beyond.
Discover more on https://hs4il.eu
