Archives: Trainers

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.

Dieuwertje is currently advisor on policy for social care and homelessness for the municipality of Groningen. Before she was social worker and then a Housing First team manager for 5 years. She first learned about Housing First in 2013 and was drawn to the concept of giving the most difficult and high care need clients a change at housing directly from the streets. The transition from a ‘surviving-mode’ to feeling safe and secure in their new home, I found was a big challenge for most of my clients and something I found very rewarding to be a part of. Now, she’s also providing training for Housing First teams and give Housing First support worker the tools they need to understand and provide high fidelity support for their clients.

Former social worker, Anna is currently a professional manager in social projects, trainer, and coach. She works for the local government units and is used to work with all stakeholders of the field to creates and implement social projects, mainly in social inclusion area. Her activities focus on supporting the general development and well-being of both individuals and groups, searching for solutions, planning, and managing resources, sharing experiences, and cooperating with various stakeholders. Since 2019 she’s involved in the implementation of Housing first in Poland and work closely with all kinds of Housing First stakeholders in Warsaw and Gdansk.

Raphael is a psychiatrist with a degree in public health from NOVA university. After 10 years in Un chez soi d'abord (French Housing First), he's worked in working first and develops training in recovery oriented practice. His year as an assistant visiting professor at Yale University as part of the Program For Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) was an opportunity to visit several Housing First programmes in the US. He's currently the national coordinator for Un chez soi d'abord France at the DIHAL.

I'm Josep and I have 10 years of experience working in the social sector as a Social Educator. I started working with people with disabilities, with children in care and since 2016 I'm working with this new paradigm HF in Lleida. I believe in this new paradigm and I also think that it is possible to adapt it to the needs of each city. We can do it!

"For me, Housing First is about dignity. By offering people back a home that is really theirs, you give them so much more: freedom and autonomy, life chances, future, happiness"

  Geert has been the Dutch coordinator of the Housing First Lab since 2018. He lives in Kortrijk, is married and has three grown-up children, who are gradually leaving home. He enjoys travelling, long walks and board games. Geert is a trained social worker and had 15 years of experience within the local OCMW operation where he was responsible for the reception and guidance of homeless people. From this work, he got to know the ideas of Housing First. Later in life, he started university studies in social work at Ghent University.    

I've worked in schools and residential services for adolescents for almost 10 years. I work as a support worker and a case manager in an Housing First service since 2015. I work as a Housing First trainer since 2018. I contribute to the spread of the HF approach in my Country where there are often misconceptions and resistances about this approach. I have a degree in psychological sciences and techniques and I'm a professional counsellor.

I am an accomplished leader, who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Managers and educated to post graduate level. I am passionate about system change within homelessness and housing systems and have the drive to be able to influence change in these areas of delivery. I have a proven track record in mobilising, operationalising and overseeing quality and best practice within homelessness and housing provision, both operationally and strategically.

Peter-Jan started working in day shelter for homeless people during his studies, combined with working in the crisis shelter and night shelter in the city of Ghent. In 2012, he started his job as a Housing First support worker for the public welfare of Ghent, this project was part of the Belgian Housing First project, funded by the Belgian government. I was then asked by SAM VZW to assist in the Flemish housing first training to provide insights from his daily practice. His interest on Housing First still growing he took part of the Hub’s Train-the-Trainer, followed by the Outreach! Course organized by SAM Vzw Belgium. He still works as a Housing first support worker for the city of Ghent, and provide the Housing First and Outreach! courses for he Flemish region and as a freelance commissioned by SAM vzw Belgium.

Coordinator

Samara Jones has worked on homelessness and social justice issues both in Europe and Canada. She is based in Brussels and is the Coordinator of the Housing First Europe Hub.