• Miriam Sanabria

    Miriam Sanabria

    Hogar Sí

    Country: Spain

    Languages: Spanish

    I am a social educator and social worker. As a social intervention professional from 2011, I have worked in many social sectors and social areas, which has allowed me to develop different skills and intervention strategies, in addition to having different professional experiences. Currently, I work as a support worker on the public project “Building Home. Housing First” in Madrid. I feel very strongly about Housing First and its principles. I think Housing First is the way societies can end homelessness and I am sure that this reality is possible.

  • Sarah Edwards

    Sarah Edwards

    Crisis

    Country: UK

    Languages: English

    I am currently a Team Leader of a London-Wide Housing First Service (Crisis UK). I have over 10 years experience working in the homelessness sector, predominately in Housing First Services. I'm a keen advocate for systems change and sharing learning and best practice.

  • 2023-03-23-094503_4 - Thomas Lam

    Thomas Lambrechts

    Capuche asbl

    Country: Belgium

    Languages: French

    Development of associative project for more than 20 years. I have worked in the fields of culture, politics, sport/leisure and real estate. Investing 100% in HF4Y projects since 2021.

  • Tomáš Novotný - Tomáš Novotný

    Tomáš Novotný

    Spolek PORTAVITA

    Country: Czech Republic

    Languages: Czech

    I started working in 2006 in a Halfway house Chamomile as a social worker and since the year 2013 an educator in a facility for children requiring immediate help in the same organization Chamomile. I did these two jobs at the same time until 2017. After that I started working as a social worker in an Asylum for families with children Hannah, where I worked for 3 years. In 2020, I started as a key social worker in the PORTAVITA Housing First for adults project, where I still work today. Supported persons are mainly single mothers with children, but also complete families. The second project Housing First for Adults is already running at the moment.

  • per train the trainers - Margherita Neri

    Margherita Neri

    Cooperativa Sociale Piazza Grande

    Country: Italy

    Languages: ItalianSpanish

    Margherita has been working for 10 years in services aimed at homeless people within third sector organizations. She has always been passionate about the issue of the right to housing and for this reason she has coordinated and worked in the Housing First program managed by the Piazza Grande Social Cooperative. In the Cooperative she has covered various roles of coordination of socio-educational projects and is currently vice president. Margherita collaborates with Fio.PSD in the context of sector specific operators training, the training focusing especially on Housing First projects, social and health integration, and community work.

  • _dsc6224_schwemberger_patrick.jpg__600x0_q95_crop-True_subsampling-2_upscale-True - Patrick Schwemberger

    Patrick Schwemberger

    Verein dowas

    Country: Austria

    Languages: German

    After completing compulsory school and an apprenticeship in the metal industry, I studied "social work/social management" at the Vienna University of Applied Sciences on the second educational path. I was able to gain my first practical experience in helping the homeless during my studies in the context of "assisted living" in an internship. After completing my studies in 2011, I stayed in the field of helping the homeless and worked in the areas of "consulting" and "street work" for a little over two years, where I gained my first experience. After a one-year stay abroad, I then switched to the area of "partially assisted living/outpatient assisted living" in the same field of work, in which I have been working since 2014. I completed the Housing First Europe Hub's TTT - Train The Trainer - training in 2022.

  • Profiili - Asunto Ensin Verkostokehittäjät

    Mia Saarela

    Y-Säätiö

    Country: Finland

    Languages: EnglishFinnish

    Mia is Coordinator for the National Housing First Development Network in Finland. She is passionate about eradicating homelessness and developing new ways of approaching housing-related issues. Mia has a backround in youth housing, social services & child protection services and is also experience in networking, providing training and a platform for learning about Housing First and housing related social work.

  • Pauline Portefaix

    Pauline Portefaix

    Fondation Abbé Pierre

    Country: France

    Languages: EnglishFrench

    I am working at the advocacy level on Housing First in France. In my work for Fondation Abbé Pierre, which is known for its expertise in the evaluation of public policy, I have conducted an evaluation of the national Housing First programme.  

  • Magdalena

    Magdalena Syrówka

    Przyszłość jest dziś

    Country: Poland

    Languages: EnglishPolish

    Magdalena is a therapist, psychologist, sexual educator, and mediator. She worked as a frontline support worker and then as head of the Housing First implementation team in Warsaw. She both provided support on a daily basis and in crisis situations for tenants with ACT approach and organised coordination of the stakeholders. As a psychotraumatologist she also provides support in a field of sexual education and leadership in family based on Jesper Juul’s values. Her core is nonviolent communication, personal responsibility, and respect for the integrity of the individual.

  • Leah Watkins

    Leah Watkins

    Housing Choices WA

    Country: Australia

    Languages: English

    Leah has over 30 years of experience in the homelessness and housing sector ranging from frontline outreach to managing services and coordinating interagency collaboration projects. She also spent 10 years working as a consultant undertaking evaluations, service model designs and action research. She was one of the first Australian participants to the Housing First Train-the-Trainer and co-authored the Housing First Principles for Australia which were endorsed by Homelessness Australia in 2020. From this, she helped design and deliver the Housing First train the trainer course for Australia and continues to deliver Housing First training both in person and online. Leah’s superpower is delivering online training that is interactive and highly participatory.