Addressing young people’s housing needs is one of the key challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the most important conditions for ensuring that young people can build their future in their own country and communities. With the rising cost of living, high property prices, and limited employment opportunities, an increasing number of young people simply do not have a chance of securing adequate and stable housing.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT has long advocated for systemic solutions in youth housing policy. The Institute’s research shows that 69.7% of young people in the Federation of BiH still live with their parents, and housing policies that reflect their needs remain underdeveloped and fragmented across different levels of government.
The situation is even more challenging for marginalised groups of young people. Those from rural areas, young people without parental care, youth leaving the care system, young people with disabilities, the unemployed, or those with low incomes face additional barriers. For many of them, adequate housing is not only a matter of quality of life—it is a prerequisite for dignity, safety, and equal participation in society.
For this reason, the Institute continues to highlight the need for targeted measures that would allow these groups to access affordable housing.
More Than a Roof: A Dialogue on Solutions
Housing has become one of the major policy issues facing modern European democracies, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is no exception. This was discussed at the second Thematic Session on Youth Issues in the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, where long-term housing solutions were identified as one of young people’s top priorities and a prerequisite for a fulfilling, stable life.
This is why representatives of cantonal governments and relevant ministries, international partners, and members of the legislative branch gathered in Sarajevo for the event “More Than a Roof: Housing Policies in the Federation of BiH – How Do We Achieve Sustainable Solutions for Young People?”, organised by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), with the Institute contributing its expertise.
At the event, WFD presented its analysis of housing policies in the Federation of BiH, in the first comprehensive overview of cantonal and FBiH measures and programmes for young people. The analysis identifies examples of good practice but also highlights major challenges and opportunities for building more sustainable and equitable housing policies. The findings show that young people in FBiH face an increasingly difficult path to independent living: strict lending requirements, few permanent employment contracts, rising purchase and rental prices, and low wages create a combination of barriers that demand a serious institutional response.
The Time to Act Is Now
There has been progress. Together with partners, organisations, and institutions, significant steps have been taken: models have been reviewed, recommendations proposed, public dialogue opened, and initiatives launched across different levels of government. But a lot remains to be done.
Youth housing policy cannot remain a side topic. Clear, sustainable, long-term measures are needed to ensure that young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have a real chance at secure housing and a more stable future. The time for action is now, and only through coordinated, determined, and collective effort can we create changes that will truly improve young people’s lives.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT remains committed to this issue and continues to advocate for solutions that ensure every young person has the right and opportunity to live with dignity, in a safe, accessible, and affordable home.
