Vaggelis is a certified Housing First Trainer through the Housing First Europe Hub and serves as a specialist at Emfasis non-profit, an NGO representing FEANTSA. His background involves implementing the Housing First model to address homelessness across Greece by prioritising immediate access to permanent housing with tailored support services. He designs and delivers specialised training programmes for practitioners across Greece to ensure high-fidelity model adherence. His experience bridges direct field intervention with systemic advocacy and he focuses on scaling evidence-based solutions through the Housing First Europe Hub partnership to end chronic homelessness.

Maria, co-founder of Emfasis Non Profit, leverages 30 years of corporate expertise and international housing project experience in the Middle East and Southeast Asia to support vulnerable communities. She is a leading advocate for the Housing First model in Greece, actively driving the implementation of the country’s inaugural pilot program. Drawing on her background in building initiatives from the ground up, Maria also specializes in delivering high-impact training on leadership skills, management strategies, and organizational culture shifts to empower teams and foster systemic change, such as Housing First.