My Basket
Celebrating 40 years of the World Habitat Awards: 1985-2025
Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Royal College of Physicians, London
What is the conference about?
It’s estimated that 318 million people are homeless around the world, and the numbers are rising steeply. Yet this is a global problem that can be solved. For 40 years, the World Habitat Awards, in partnership with UN-Habitat, have recognised and celebrated transformative solutions that are successfully ending homelessness. This year, we’re convening a landmark conference bringing together people behind those solutions and some of the world’s leading thinkers to debate what works and chart a course for the future.
The day will conclude with a ceremony to celebrate the 2025 World Habitat Awards winners.
Who is the conference for?
- Policymakers at all levels of government
- Social impact investors, funders and philanthropic organisations
- CEOs and senior leaders of homelessness service provision
- Researchers and academics focused on housing and homelessness
- Community leaders, activists and advocates
Why should I attend?
Gain a global perspective: Learn how proven, award-winning projects across the UK, Europe and beyond are successfully addressing homelessness in diverse contexts.
Deep dive into innovation: Explore current key trends, policies, and cutting-edge innovations in prevention and response.
Shape the future of housing policy: Engage with policymakers, funders, philanthropic leaders, activists and CEOs of homelessness services, to influence the development of effective and sustainable solutions.
Take away practical insights: Learn how to adapt successful approaches into actionable strategies and solutions within your own community or organisation.
Connect and network: Strengthen your work and drive meaningful change alongside key stakeholders, thought-leaders and practitioners from around the world.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and Global Director of The Shift
- Matt Downie MBE, CEO Crisis
- Freek Spinnewijn, Director of FEANTSA
- Dr Lígia Teixeira, CEO Centre for Homelessness Impact
- Pim Gregory, Executive Director for Homelessness at The Royal Foundation
- Rick Henderson, CEO Homeless Link
Breakout sessions:
a) Award Winning Practice for Preventing Gentrification and Homelessness
This workshop explores Hastings Commons, a community-led initiative that has successfully transformed derelict buildings into permanently affordable homes, workspaces, and cultural hubs, ensuring regeneration benefits local residents, instead of fuelling gentrification. We will look at community ownership models that protect affordability, strategies for revitalising neglected urban spaces while preventing displacement, engaging local residents, and building long-term financial sustainability.
We’ll also hear from Community Land Trust Brussels (Belgium), about their model for securing permanently affordable homes through collective land ownership, and Canopy, a fantastic example of a hands-on approach where homeless individuals renovate empty properties to create low-cost homes and gain employment skills.
Outcomes:
- Develop understanding of how other stakeholders, like local government and charitable foundations, can support community ownership strategies
- Takeaway practical tools to apply community-led regeneration principles in your own area with the buy-in of residents
- Gain a greater understanding of financial strategies for community-led initiatives
b) Women, Housing, and Community: Safe and inclusive models for all ages
This workshop explores gender-responsive housing solutions, focusing on the work of Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH). This initiative provides sustainable, affordable homes for elderly residents, while also training local women in eco-friendly construction, enabling economic empowerment and community resilience. Also joining us are New Ground Cohousing (UK), a pioneering, women-led cohousing development, supporting independence and social connection for women over 50.
Outcomes:
- Takeaway strategies for creating safe, supportive and sustainable housing for isolated elders and women seeking independence from traditional care services.
- Learn how women-led initiatives drive community transformation with far reaching impact.
- Understand how to successfully challenge gender and age stereotypes that disempower women.
c) Lessons from 10 Years of Campaigning and Working in Challenging Contexts to End Homelessness.
In this session, World Habitat Homelessness Programme Manager Ella Hancock will reflect on learnings from the European End Street Homelessness Campaign, Vera Kovács, Co-Founder of From Streets to Homes Association (Budapest, Hungary) will discuss working in partnership with the municipality and establishing a social housing agency, and Jana Milin Herceg and Helena Babić, founders of Udraja AjA (Pula, Croatia) will explain how they have pioneered housing-led approaches with municipal and regional funding.
Outcomes:
- Learn from best-practice examples of driving change in challenging social and political contexts.
- Explore the power of peer networks in driving change—especially when working across diverse contexts with shared values and a common vision.
d) The Private Rented Sector: An untapped source of affordable housing
The Private Rented Sector (PRS) in England occupies a challenging position within the housing market. It is often misunderstood and inadequately addressed, hindering it from providing affordable, safe, and secure housing. Along with experts on the UK PRS this session will highlight solutions to help the PRS become a vehicle for growth and thriving communities.
Outcomes:
- Learn more about the barriers and solutions for the PRS
- Takeaway actionable recommendations for your own work in delivering affordable housing
- Network with others pushing for change in the PRS and advance your own advocacy work
