2018 FEANTSA Policy Conference: Future Challenges for the Homeless Sector in Europe
The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA)’s 2018 Policy Conference will be held on June 15, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. A pre-conference program, featuring a series of site visits and opportunities to network on various topics, will take place on June 14, 2018. The keynote address by Professor Eoin O’Sullivan will be followed by a panel on the theme of this year’s convening – Future Challenges for the Homeless Sector in Europe. Topics will include transitional housing, street homelessness outreach, healthcare for people experiencing homelessness, and more. The deadline to register is May 31, 2018.
Register here.
USC and United Way L.A. Form Research Institute on Homelessness
The University of Southern California’s (USC) Price Center for Social Innovation and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles Home for Good Initiative have announced the creation of a collaborative Homelessness Policy Research Institute. According to Gary Painter, director of the Health Policy Research Institute and USC Price Center for Social Innovation, the region’s top scholars, with expertise in housing and real estate, economics, behavioral and primary healthcare, social services and social network theory, will embody the Institute. Through research, they will aim to directly inform policymaking at all levels of government.
The L.A. County saw a 23% increase in homelessness in 2017 – reaching over 58,000 people. “The urgent need to reduce the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County requires a new model of collaboration between researchers and policymakers,” said Painter.
Read the article here.
Challenges among Transgender People Experiencing Homelessness in South Africa
Carl Collison of Mail & Guardian shares the story of Siya Hlongwa – a 32-year-old transgender woman experiencing street homelessness in Johannesburg, South Africa (S.A.). Like Siya, many transgender women and men in S.A. are forced to flee their homes due to rejection, sometimes accompanied by the threat of violence, from their families, then struggle to find stable accommodation due to discrimination. In Siya’s case, she found temporary housing in a shelter for women and children of domestic violence, but was forced to leave once the shelter learned of her gender identity. According to Joshua Sehoole of Iranti – an organization that advocates for transgender and intersex rights – there are a multitude of factors that make transgender women and men vulnerable to homelessness, such as the lack of trans-friendly accommodation. Agencies and facilities like Iranti and Ithemba Lam safe house in Thambo Village township are working to help transgender-women and men in S.A. and hope to expand their capacity to offer a safe space to a greater number of people.
Read the article here.
Extreme Poverty Among Senior Women in Hong Kong
Matthew Keegan of The Guardian explores the growing issue of extreme poverty among older-aged women in Hong Kong. “I ended up homeless because I didn’t have enough money to pay the rent. Even a sub-divided flat costs around HK$4,000 per month and I didn’t have the money for that,” said 65-year-old Miss Wong, who is one of a reported 1,000 senior citizen women nicknamed “cardboard grannies” because they collect and sell discarded boxes and other scrap to earn a living.
The city has the longest life expectancy in the world, according to researchers of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. However, aside from a small Old Age Living Allowance, the government struggles to provide adequate financial support to the reported 478,400 seniors living in poverty. Agencies are advocating for a universal pension that would be offered to the elderly, regardless of their income, to reduce and prevent homelessness and financial strain among Hong Kong’s older-aged population.
Read the article here.