Five good news stories: a break from climate anxiety, the EU country sponsoring newer tech and more

Because we think you deserve to know what is going well in the world, we bring you another instalment of the good news round-up, a weekly digest of positive stories to brighten up your day.

The list is not biased, political or moralising. It is just plain good news, picked by our team because it inspires us and brings us hope.

1. The US city that moved 25,000 people from the streets to homes of their own.

The American city of Houston is tackling its homeless problem head-on, reducing the number of people living on the street by 63 per cent.

It has achieved what no other major US city has managed, thanks to a “housing first” approach that focuses on getting homeless people safely into their own apartments as fast as possible, and only dealing with issues such as work, drug addiction and mental health afterwards.

The city is responding to research that says this is the most efficient way to get people off the street. Finland, the only EU country where homelessness is falling, has used the same strategy, giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally.

In one of the government’s homeless categories, the waiting process to get a home in Houston has been cut from 720 days to just 32.

One of the greatest challenges the authorities face in these situations is that residents often end up back on the streets, but according to local media, the vast majority of Houston’s relocated people have stayed in their houses for more than two years.

The city hasn’t solved homelessness, but it has made amazing progress and shown the world a fast way to get people off the streets and under a roof.

2. The first major proposal in 30 years to reverse catastrophic wildlife loss in Europe.

In an unprecedented boom for European wildlife, the