An End to Homelessness: Unlocking Systemic Change with Housing First
Housing First is the key to unlocking systemic change to end homelessness in Europe by 2030.
That is the central message from the inaugural conference of the Housing First Europe Hub, which took place in Madrid’s La Nave conference centre from 28-29th March, 2022.
Supported by the City of Madrid, the two-day conference brought together 244 policymakers, researchers, housing providers, practitioners and advocates from 15 countries, who gathered to plan how to build on the successes of Housing First. The participants were committed to implementing Housing First as an overall approach that puts the fundamental right to housing at the heart of policies to end homelessness across Europe.
The conference set the foundation for a systems change approach. Where up until that moment we had been adding Housing First practices, and providing housing for more people experiencing homelessness, Madrid allowed to have the conversation about how Housing First can be used more broadly to end homelessness and be given a full place in national strategies.
An approach that keeps the practical successes of Housing First, but also applies those lessons to address the structural factors of how people (are at risk of) becoming homeless.
The conference also saw the official launch of the joint report by Demos Helsinki and the Housing First Europe Hub, which aims to uncover and illustrate how seeing Housing First through the lens of governance – rather than policy – can provide a compass to navigate the complexity of homelessness, and learn how to advance the ambitious goal of eliminating it regardless of the situation and context a country may face.
