400 experts to discuss solving homelessness in Europe

Today (10 October) is World Homelessness Day.  In two weeks’ time, on the 24-25 October, the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) will hold a policy conference bringing together 400 practitioners from across Europe and beyond to exchange information on policy and practice to prevent and reduce homelessness.

The 2014 FEANTSA Policy Conference, “Confronting homelessness in the EU: Seeking out the next generation of best practices” will take place in Bergamo, Italy, under the Italian presidency of the EU.  The event will bring together 400 experts from the 28 European Union Member States, North and South America – and beyond – from a number of sectors: NGOs, universities, Ministries and local government institutions, homelessness sector workers, people with experience of homelessness, foundations, bank and finance sector representatives, education and training sector representatives, health sector workers and others.  They will discuss best practice solutions to the enduring challenges regarding homelessness in the European Union.

The conference aims to support policy and practice on homelessness by driving innovation and providing space to test new ways of pooling expertise and building networks.  The format of the conference will allow participants to take part in 12 informative workshops and 20 interactive networking hotspots, and to visit local services and projects, as well as networking and fostering national and European partnerships.

Key speakers at the Bergamo conference will include Giorgio Gori (Mayor of Bergamo), Monsignor Francesco Beschi (Bishop of Bergamo), Mara Azzi (General Director of Regional Public Health Agency of Bergamo), Mike Allen (FEANTSA President), European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, László Andor (European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs), Doreen Huddart (Member of the EU Committee of the Regions), Heather Roy (Social Platform President), Volker Busch-Geertsema (Head of the European Observatory on Homelessness), Lieve Fransen (European Commission), Stefano Galliani (fioPSD President), Mark Kennedy (“Mazars” CEO Ireland), Lenka Laubovà (Social Affairs Ministry Czech Republic), Michel Pouzol (Member of Parliament France).

The themes covered will be: key objectives of homeless policies for the future; participation of homeless people; Housing First; channeling EU funds to homeless services; preventing youth homelessness; women's homelessness; employability pathways homeless people; tackling homelessness among domestic workers; new forms of finance for homelessness; communicating homelessness without stigma; homelessness strategies; accessing housing supply to end homelessness; and harnessing the potential of homeless people with health needs.

The conference will also allow other networks to meet: HABITACT, the Informal Forum of National and Regional Ministries with responsibility for homelessness, HOPE – a network of HOmeless PEople in Europe, the European Network of Homeless Health Workers, SMES Europa, FEANTSA Youth Homelessness Network and the Eurosocial II programme.

“This conference will be the first time FEANTSA gathers people on this scale in Europe – the 350 registrations are telling of the fact that many local practitioners think “European”, and see a value in bouncing ideas off their European counterparts in order to find sustainable solutions to homelessness in their communities. This is Social Europe in the making – we hope the new European Commission will see this as a clear message that the EU can have an important role in driving social innovation in the field of homelessness. Such momentum should be seized by the EU in a strategic way to support the achievement of the Europe2020 poverty target”, said FEANTSA Director, Freek Spinnewijn.

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