National coordination of Housing First plays a critical role in supporting the policies and practices that drive Housing First forward. From strategic alignment to operational consistency, national coordination ensures that Housing First is more than an isolated practice.

Housing First can become a system-wide approach rooted in shared values, clear methodologies, and measurable outcomes. National coordination provides the connective tissue between government policy, frontline services, research, and people who have lived experience of homelessness. National coordination plays an essential role to foster coherence across regions, encourage fidelity to the Housing First model, enable rapid learning and adaptation, all of which contribute to the impact and success of Housing First.

Product of a collective effort, this advocacy document aims at describing how and why national coordination is essential, and propose a set of recommendations to ensure that the key conditions for effective coordination are met. Without a dedicated national structure to align strategies, build capacity, and support delivery, the impact of Housing First risks being diluted or fragmented.

When properly organised, national coordination becomes a powerful driver of change. It helps align policy across ministries, connect local actors, create learning systems, promote consistent training, and strengthen advocacy at every level. Most importantly, it ensures that Housing First does not remain a set of isolated projects, but becomes a sustainable, system-wide solution.

If you’re working to implement Housing First and need support in advocating for national coordination in your context, we encourage you to use this document in your efforts and to reach out to us for further support.

Read the full paper here.