This article presents the actions taken by the Polish Ombudsman in 2005-2015 on behalf of the homeless and persons facing the prospect of homelessness. The paper investigates the sluggishness in solving homelessness-related issues, despite the Ombudsman’s clear and recurrent diagnoses of the situation. The analysis focuses on the legal instruments available to the Ombudsman and their applicability in issues relating to homelessness and its prevention. An account of the work of Polish ombudsmen is provided in their reports, which show that they have always recognised homelessness as a legitimate sphere of their interest and activities. However, these issues, which have not changed much over the years, have generally not been addressed and are still unresolved. Te paper shows that as regards the homeless, the Polish Ombudsman has only a limited amount of influence with the legislative authority. There are no legal instruments which he can apply to foster changes in the law. This burdens the Ombudsman with a unilateral legal responsibility, while effectively the Polish parliament carries only the political responsibility for policies on the prevention of homelessness.
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