World Habitat brings best practice from across Europe to Helsinki

World Habitat, in collaboration with the Housing First Europe Hub, is bringing together organisations delivering social housing and Housing First programmes from across Europe to the International Social Housing Festival in Helsinki.  The event will feature best practice from Finland, Hungary, France, Portugal and Scotland and will be held in person at Helsinki City Hall, and online on the 15^th June from 3- 6pm CET.

Finland and the European End Street Homelessness Campaign

In 2014, Y-Foundation was awarded a World Habitat Gold Award for its transformational work in significantly reducing homelessness in Finland. Following this award and inspired by the work achieved in Finland, World Habitat set up the European End Street Homelessness Campaign – sharing the learning from Finland to a network of NGOs across Europe. You can read more about our work with the Y-Foundation here, including experiences of those who were inspired by an ExChange session visiting Finland and arranged by World Habitat in 2015.

The European End Street Homelessness Campaign now works across 10 European cities. This event will showcase best practice and share expertise from five cities across Europe who have all made exceptional progress in ending homelessness and are providing innovative housing solutions in the some of the most challenging housing and often varying political contexts.

Our panel will include:

• Juha Kaakinen, Y-Foundation, Finland
• Maggie Brünjes, Homeless Network Scotland, Scotland
• Vera Kovács, Utcáról Lakásba Egyesület (From Streets to Homes Association), Hungary
• Américo Nave, CRESCER, Portugal
• Etienne Fabris, Est Métropole Habitat – Lyon, France
• Louise Winterburn, World Habitat, UK (Host)

This event will appeal to everyone determined to end homelessness and who want to know more about successful housing solutions (and challenges) from all corners of Europe. This includes those with an interest in social housing, Housing First, locally developed approaches, and utilising partnerships with municipalities to develop solutions to homelessness.

Delivered in partnership with Housing First Europe Hub, a network of partners working to end and prevent homelessness by supporting systemic change and scaled up approaches to Housing First, this event will also be an opportunity to hear more about the fantastic work of the Hub, and how to get involved further.

To sign up for the conference please visit the International Social Housing Festival website.  If you would like to watch the event online, please contact ella.hancock@world-habitat.org or sign up to our newsletter in which we will soon be sharing the link to sign up to the live stream.