Leading European voices in the fight to end homelessness will feature at Shelter Cymru’s People and Homes conference in Swansea.
Taking place on Tuesday 20 June, this year’s conference will have a hybrid format, with tickets available virtually as well as in-person at the Village Hotel.
Themed ‘The Journey to End Homelessness’, the event will bring together a host of expert speakers with the aim of widening the lens on the challenges currently facing the housing and homelessness sectors.
Freek Spinnewijn, director of European homelessness umbrella organisation FEANTSA, will be giving an overview of how European nations are planning to end homelessness, while Juha Kahila (left) of Finland’s Y-Foundation will be describing the next phase of the Finnish Housing First programme.
Elisabeth Hammer, managing director of Vienna’s Neunerhaus, will be sharing insights from her book Look Instead of Looking Away: How a Society Without Homelessness is Possible. Her experience of successfully scaling up collaboration between the housing and support sectors in the Austrian capital promises to be highly relevant for delegates in Wales.
As well as a strong European element, the conference will also be the first to hear findings from Shelter Cymru’s new report, Reframing Antisocial Behaviour, which calls for a trauma-informed approach to preventing evictions into homelessness as a result of behaviours deemed antisocial.
Sessions are also planned on prevention, including a look at My Home Denbighshire – an early prevention project – as well as a training taster session on how to spot a defective section 173 possession notice.
Workshops will be held across three streams – policy, practice, and activist – providing different routes through the conference to cater to delegates’ diverse interests.
Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru, said: ‘Countries across Europe are facing enormous challenges with homelessness, the cost of living, and the rising cost of housing. It is vital that we continue to learn from overseas post-Brexit.
‘That’s why we are excited to bring together speakers who show that Wales is not alone but part of a bigger movement to end homelessness. There is so much potential for sharing the learning. Ticket sales are strong and it’s looking like our biggest and best conference yet, with ample opportunities for networking and connection.’
In-person ticket sales close this Friday June 16 at 10am, while virtual ticket sales close at 10am on Monday June 19. For more information go here.