This is the first in a new series of freeform lunchtime discussions, featuring interesting people from different areas of expertise, to explore outside-the-box perspectives on the challenges facing the homeless sector.

Inspired by the recent paper ‘Steering through capability: How governments can – and should – steer their societies’, this discussion will explore some of the latest thinking around systemic change and examine how some of the insights could be applied to efforts to end homelessness using this approach.

Featuring Juha Kaakinen, CEO of Y-Foundation and Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL). Moderated by Matt Downie, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Crisis UK.

Watch the recording:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xAgBgDXd18[/embedyt]

Related Reading:

• ‘Steering through capability: How governments can – and should – steer their societies’ by Geoff Mulgan (Demos Helsinki, Dec 2020)

• ‘Beyond the COVID crisis: can emergency measures be turned into systemic change to end homelessness?’ by Juha Kaakinen (International Public Policy Observatory – Blog)

Juha Kaakinen – CEO, Y-Foundation/Y-Säätiö

Juha has been Chief Executive Officer of Y-Foundation since 2013 (expert member of the Board of Y-Foundation 1986-2003), the biggest Finnish NGO acquiring flats from the private market for homeless people and providing social housing. He is an experienced developer of, and advocate for, Housing First and social housing.

From 2008- 2012, he worked for the Finnish Ministry of the Environment as Program Leader of the National Program to reduce long-term homelessness 2008-2012. He was also the Secretary of the working Group of “Wise People” appointed by the Ministry of Housing to formulate the basic principles for the Homelessness Reduction Program. From 1990- 2011, he was CEO of Sosiaalikehitys Oy (Social Development Ltd), a Research and Development Company owned by 11 municipalities).

Follow Juha on Twitter: @JKaakinen

Geoff Mulgan, CBE – Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL)

Sir Geoff Mulgan CBE is Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL). Since 2020, Geoff has been working with Demos Helsinki and the New Institute in Hamburg.  At UCL he is a co-lead of the new International Public Policy Observatory on COVID (from December 2020).  Since January 2021 he has also been a member of the International Advisory Board of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment panel (STOA).

Geoff has advised many governments, foundations and companies, chaired an international advisory committee for the Mayor of Seoul and has sat on advisory committees for the Prime Minister’s office in the United Arab Emirates, the Scottish Government and SITRA, the Finnish innovation agency.  He has pioneered many ideas used by governments, civil society and business – including joined-up government, anticipatory regulation, experimentalism, social investment and social impact bonds, open innovation and creative economy strategies, collective intelligence and data.

Follow Geoff on Twitter: @geoffmulgan

Matt Downie, MBE – Director of Policy and External Affairs, Crisis

As Director of Policy and External Affairs for Crisis, Matt has led award winning teams at Action for Children and the National Autistic Society and Crisis.

Political successes include the Autism Act 2009, stopping the extradition of Gary McKinnon to the US on charges of computer hacking, establishing a multi-million pound Government savings scheme for children in care, and the introduction of a new criminal offence of psychological child abuse.

Most recently he led a campaign to achieve the Homelessness Reduction Act which came into force in 2018. Matt was awarded an MBE in the 2019 Queen’s birthdays honours, for ‘Services to tackling homelessness’.

 

Follow Matt on Twitter: @matthew_downie

 

Table Talk Books – what our panelists are reading:

• Finntopia: What we can learn from the world’s happiest country – Danny Dorling
• Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan
• The White Book – Han Kang
• The Vegetarian – Han Kang
• The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket – Benjamin Lorr
• Circe – Madeleine Miller
• Life: A User’s Manual – Georges Perec
• Life: A Critical User’s Manual – Didier Fassin

Join the Hub Bookshelf group on Goodreads for more of the latest recommendations from our community!