Europe is facing a dual crisis of a severe shortage of affordable housing and an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. Habitat for Humanity’s “Empty Spaces to Homes” initiative tackles these challenges by repurposing vacant properties into affordable, energy-efficient housing.
At Habitat for Humanity, volunteering takes on many shapes. Not every volunteer may swing a hammer, but every volunteer helps move us closer to a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
In just the first half of 2025, more than 3,300 people volunteered with Habitat for Humanity across Europe and the Middle East. Some helped build homes in Romania, Kenya, and Malawi. Others organized charity dinners in Poland, sorted donated goods in Irish ReStores, ran upcycling workshops in Great Britain, or supported communications and events in Jordan and Egypt. No two roles are alike. There is something for everyone who is willing to help.
Across England, Scotland, and Wales, the housing crisis continues to deepen. Record levels of homelessness, rising temporary accommodation costs, and a chronic shortage of genuinely affordable homes are placing enormous pressure on households and local authorities alike. At the same time, thousands of buildings—many of them publicly owned—sit vacant or underused, representing a missed opportunity to respond more quickly and sustainably to housing need.
In January 2026 a new housing law was adopted in the second reading in Ukraine’s parliament. This marks the beginning of a major housing reform, something that has not happened for over 30 years in the country.
New Bill No. 12377, “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy,” replaces the 1983 Soviet-era Housing Code, includes the establishment of social housing, new financial mechanisms to support the construction and purchase of housing, digitalization of processes, as well as putting vulnerable people and their specific needs as a priority. It is now awaiting Presidential approval and signature to come into effect.
Read our policy papers, housing reviews, shelter reports and advocacy toolkits for a more in-depth look at our advocacy efforts.
Habitat for Humanity International has launched a new partnership with the Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) to expand access to affordable, climate-resilient housing for low- and middle-income households living in flood-prone communities around Lake Victoria in Kenya.
Bratislava, Slovakia — [January, 2026] — Habitat for Humanity International is pleased to announce Saint-Gobain Foundation’s support to a vital housing project for families displaced by the war in Ukraine.
Habitat for Humanity, together with its Ukrainian partner METALAB and the Municipality of Kalush, is reconstructing an abandoned kindergarten building into 47 apartments of various typology, providing dignified housing for approximately 150 people. The apartments will offer safety, privacy and stability for families who have spent years displaced by war, enabling them to rebuild their lives in a supportive environment.
When residents from the Dida-Yaokro and Chickwawa communities constructed toilets, their health improved, the school attendance increased and the environment got cleaner.
In Zambia, many families are challenged every day to survive. Mathabo Makuta, national director of Habitat for Humanity Zambia, discusses problems with access to clean water and water borne diseases.