Tackling Homelessness :

Innovating Affordable Housing Initiatives and Supportive Services

Key Speakers

Overview

On any given night there are over half a million people who are homeless and even more lack secure and stable housing.This number eclipses the displacement caused by any natural disaster and is no accident rather it is failure in design of one of the wealthiest societies in the world. When you look at the distribution it is clear that our wealthiest cities have the largest numbers of homeless people not because of their population size but because of the shocking inequities that force people into the streets. Aside from the obvious discomfort, homelessness causes severe mental and physical illnesses that greatly lowers the lifespan or kill innocents in a single night. The global pandemic has made finances and services difficult for governmental and nonprofit organizations alike that need to reduce the risk of infection but need to get people off the streets as fast as possible. Entire generations will be trapped in a cycle of poverty forcing them onto the streets from the economic crisis caused by this pandemic. We will likely be dealing with the impact of this for years if not decades after the pandemic since even a single night on the streets can mean a lifetime of homelessness.

Stimulus checks are not enough to overcome the years of underfunding affordable housing initiatives have faced. The cost of construction has only been getting larger over time and affordable housing units deal with substantial legal and regulatory costs before a single person can be housed. Immediate forms of relief like extending the eviction moratorium, rental assistance and new aid for those experiencing homelessness are great but more still needs to be done. Long term changes like returning to the “Housing First” model must first deal with the zoning and regulatory hurdles local decision makers face. State and local authorities are also being asked by the new administration to review housing policy to root out discriminatory practices in exchange for funding. All of these challenges will require every sector to devise creative solutions and funding sources to overcome the systemic failures that have put us in this situation.  

This timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity for case managers, social workers, community outreach specialists, housing authorities, developers, healthcare and mental health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to reflect on progress made, identify challenges and consider next steps in tackling homelessness across the nation. Cross-sector exchange will help facilitate better partnerships between civil society, the private sector and government actors. It will allow delegates to consider solutions to identified barriers and challenges related to policy implementation. Participants will be able to transfer key learnings and best practices to their own communities whether at the local, state or national level.

Delegates Will:

• Share strategies to adapt services in lieu of the pandemic

• Explore ways to make coordinated entry more equitable and effective 

• Discuss ways enhance access to shelters and improve shelter conditions

• Share creative and alternative means for funding affordable housing initiatives 

• Learn best practices for implementing Housing First initiatives 

• Build community support for affordable housing and homeless services

• Discuss how different sectors could collaborate to improve services and prevention for people experiencing homelessness

• Identify solutions for zoning and regulatory hurdles to building affordable housing

• Develop plans to tackle the growing eviction crisis happening across the country

• Explore how local governments can guide investments towards affordable and permanent supportive housing

Program

Who Should Attend?