A/HRC/54/30 62. The social and economic integration of persons experiencing homelessness, in particular securing access to adequate, affordable, safe and secure housing that ensures privacy and security of tenure for them, is essential in preventing their exploitation in contemporary forms of slavery. However, a number of challenges remain in this regard. Ongoing discrimination has led to practical difficulties in acquiring access to education, affordable housing, decent work and essential services. Many of those experiencing homelessness also suffer from additional intersecting forms of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, migration status and other grounds that serve as strong barriers to their effective integration. In addition, structural and personal causes for homelessness must be tackled more systematically. 63. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges that States have been implementing a number of important initiatives to protect and empower persons experiencing homelessness, ranging from the provision of temporary and long-term housing and access to education and essential services to the creation of employment opportunities, as well as financial and digital inclusion. The important role of civil society and charity organizations should be acknowledged, as they have been instrumental in filling protection gaps left by States. 64. However, it is clear that more must be done to prevent homelessness, first and foremost, and the exploitation of persons experiencing homelessness in contemporary forms of slavery. As a starting point, all governmental and non-governmental stakeholders should clearly recognize the linkage between the two human rights violations. This is essential for devising and implementing more effective prevention and response strategies. It is vital that persons experiencing homelessness, including children in street situations, are fully included in all decision-making processes affecting them so that individualized or tailored support can be provided and intersecting forms of discrimination, as well as the structural and personal causes of homelessness, are tackled more effectively. There also is a need for a multi-stakeholder approach to tackling the linkage between homelessness and contemporary forms of slavery, with closer cooperation and coordination among public and law enforcement authorities, homelessness prevention and anti-slavery actors, health-care and social care professionals, educators, businesses, public and private property owners and housing providers. X. Recommendations 65. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States: (a) Enhance the understanding of the linkage between homelessness and contemporary forms of slavery, in addition to promoting awareness-raising and training among relevant public service providers and law enforcement officials, and collect and update data on the linkage regularly; (b) Properly identify trafficked and exploited persons experiencing homelessness as victims of contemporary forms of slavery and extend protection without discrimination; (c) Develop and implement short-, medium- and long-term rights-based approaches to preventing and eliminating homelessness, including its causes and consequences, and in so doing, adopt a broad and inclusive notion of homelessness in order to widen the scope of protection; (d) Ensure a clear and coherent synergy between policies and strategies to prevent and eliminate homelessness and those on contemporary forms of slavery in order to maximize the protection of those who are most at risk; (e) Regularly evaluate laws and policies on homelessness in order to test their appropriateness and effectiveness, in particular with regard to contemporary forms of slavery; 16 GE.23-12640