Dear friends,
I am very happy to announce that DESC and Pathways Housing First Institute will convene their fourth biennial international Housing First Partners Conference, April 9 – 12, 2018, at the Marriott City Center Hotel in Denver, CO.
We hope you will join us for this dynamic 3-day conference (and pre-conference) that will feature workshops, plenaries, TED-style talks, interviews, and inspiring presentations from providers, researchers, policy makers and those with lived experience, all of whom are passionately engaged in ending chronic homelessness.
There will be opportunities to meet with colleagues in the Housing First community from around the country and around the world and to engage with and debate with your colleagues and with leaders in the field.
Since our last conference, Housing First programs have continued to expand and have been adapted to serve increasingly diverse populations, especially families, and youth. The model continues to expanded into a growing number of national and international communities and is implemented in a range of political, economic, and cultural contexts as well as in urban, suburban and rural landscapes.
The 2018 conference is particularly timely as the political context has become highly polarized. Some countries, notably Canada and others in Europe, are pursuing policies to end chronic homelessness by bringing Housing First to scale while others, the US, are advocating for a return to the shelters assessments approaches of the last century. This and other non-evidence based policy initiatives such as a return to the "war on drugs" and the elimination of health care options for the poor require a strong, resilient and well-informed response.
The need for a conference emphasizing basic human rights, evidence-based solutions, person-centered care, empowerment, and harm reduction approaches like Housing First is greater than ever.
HFPC 2018 will focus on how the principles and values of Housing First are useful in guiding a consistent approach to program practice, even as populations served and locations expand. There will be presentations on new program practices and innovations and examples of how HF principles are guiding overall community approaches to ending chronic homelessness and improving health, recovery and well-being.
We expect more than 800 attendees! Participants come from across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We will comprise local, state & federal government representatives; research and policy experts; funders; medical and behavioral health practitioners; housing and homeless service providers; property managers; peer specialists; veterans, youth, indigenous people, people with lived experience, faith community representatives; and more. Please save the date, consider making a presentation, and come join us next spring in the Mile-High City!
For more information, visit
hfpartnersconference.com
Best regards,
Sam Tsemberis