“Housing issues don’t exist in isolation and neither should solutions.”
These are the words of Misha Khan, Strategic Development Manager at the National Right to Housing Network, as she presented at the International Journal on Homelessness (IJOH) conference last month. Co-hosted by the Institute of Global Homelessness, the conference was an opportunity for experts from around the world to come together to share knowledge and think critically about solutions to ending homelessness.
Misha’s simple statement was pertinent. With 150 million people worldwide currently experiencing homelessness, it is is an urgent social problem. It transcends geographical borders, intersecting with global economic, political and social factors. If we are to end homelessness, sharing knowledge, experiences and perspectives from different contexts is vital.
The IJOH conference, which convenes over 400 people from 30 countries, does just that. The conference facilitates a global, inclusive knowledge exchange between those with lived experience, researchers and practitioners. Encouraging innovation is at the forefront of the conference. As Gabriela Rubilar, director of CISCAL, said in her closing speech, the conference was an opportunity for attendees to “re-encontrarse, de re-encantarse, de re-descubrir’ (to re-encounter, to re-discover, to re-enchant) their passion for… transforming a tremendously hostile, unjust and, of course, global reality.”
One session which highlighted how organisations were transforming this unjust global reality was hosted by the Citi Foundation. By showcasing innovative interventions from eight countries, including the UK, Malaysia and Guatemala, the session highlighted how homelessness intersects with issues including climate change and migration. Cooperación Comunitaria spoke about their work in community-led natural disaster reconstruction, working with Indigenous communities in Mexico using traditional housing methods and sustainable construction techniques. Micro Rainbow International Foundation shared information about their safe housing project for LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.
Elsewhere, I heard from Leigh Zachary Bursey, a supportive housing coordinator with lived experience of homelessness. He opened by saying “often, conferences have a lived experience component, but those with lived experience end up sitting on the sidelines,” before acknowledging how, at the IJOH conference, the perspectives of people with lived experience were at its very heart. Those with lived experience sat as experts on the conference’s planning committee, presented their work and facilitated interactive thematic sessions.
I also had the opportunity to visit some projects in Santiago, including Nuestra Casa, a supported accommodation service for up to 30 men. The vibrant energy of the house was infectious, and it was fascinating to hear how the residents collaborate in the management of their home – including taking it in turn to be responsible for safety and security overnight. It was useful, and timely, to also visit a recovery house for women, as Depaul Ukraine are set to open their first housing project for women who are sleeping rough, and I now have some new ideas to share.
At the closing session, I reflected on the past few days of learning and collaboration. It had been refreshing to see the conversation shift away from the global north, and connecting with those working to end homelessness worldwide was inspiring. However, this will not be enough to solve homelessness. The challenge now is how we turn this inspiration into action. Key to this is critically evaluating and questioning what we do, how we do it, and who we do it with.
Part of this process will be recognising the complexities of homelessness both at a local level and as a global crisis, ensuring that solutions integrate knowledge, experiences and perspectives from diverse contexts. We’ll need to continue to increase collaboration between local and global efforts, but also look to further broaden who we work with – considering technology, the private sector and governmental departments with whom we don’t routinely work. By ensuring that solutions to homelessness don’t exist in isolation, we can ensure that everyone, everywhere has a place to call home.
Mark Robinson, Director of International Programmes, Depaul International
