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Hiring Homeless to Give City Tours
It is February and the streets are quite compared to the summer. However; there are a number of tourists bustling around Barcelona taking in the sunshine, wine, food and culture. The city altered itself into one of the most dynamic and stylish capitals in the world. Year-round the city is alive, it is always on... Continue Reading →
Strategic Planning and Homelessness: Finland, the UK, the USA and Sweden
Article: The Finnish Homeless Strategy Summarized by Josh Crites Overview Finland recently completed a second phase of a national program intended to dramatically reduce homelessness. What is different with the Finnish approach is the country came together to create a national strategy with a total effort on using the Housing First model. The summary report... Continue Reading →
Potential Locations for Homeless Programs in Europe
Introduction: Problem: European cities continue to see a number of individuals forced into “Rough Sleeping”. Rough Sleeping is defined as sleeping on the street as opposed to some type of shelter. Question: What city's and NGO's in Europe might combine to help create a successful homeless program in Europe? More specifically: Are there any good or bad examples... Continue Reading →
Social Housing’s challenges in housing homeless in Europe.
A question that needs to be asked by social housing providers both in the USA and Europe is what role do we take in regards to those who are completely homeless. At first thought, the answer seems simple. Social housing providers will do anything possible to help reduce the number of people who are homeless. ... Continue Reading →
Housing First in Europe- 5 Short Summaries of Test Sites
I am truly lucky for this year abroad researching and looking at social housing and homeless programs in Germany and the EU. The world is increasingly more global and sharing of best practices can not be limited to country borders. As I researched homeless programs in Germany, I came across the name of a Dr.... Continue Reading →
Work for Repayment of rent arrears? An example from Hungary.
What to do when a tenant owes money to the housing authority? The question is typical and we face it on a regular basis. Many times the money spent to collect is more than the actual debt. In other situations, the tenant is in a bad situation and we want to work around it. If it is... Continue Reading →
Innovative Program in the Netherlands- Combining Elderly and Young Women
Social Housing providers serve many different categories of adults and families. Two specific groups that we see in social housing are elderly and single mothers. These are two completely different groups with completely different problems. In the USA social housing system, many seniors end up in a combo building that houses both seniors and disabled. This... Continue Reading →
What do you mean there is no Definition for Social Housing in Europe?
When I graduated college in 2009 my head was full of academic ideas and principles regarding social housing. Five years later, I am in a fellowship with a completely different view on how urban planning and social housing work. Theories are great but the reality of working in a government agency and implementing new programs ... Continue Reading →
Is coffee the answer?
A major problem in the US and throughout the world is affordable housing for elderly and disabled households. There are plenty of excellent housing developments in the USA that are attempting to bridge the gap. Funding enough affordable housing for the elderly and disabled is a major struggle. I do not know the answer to this question. There are good people... Continue Reading →
International Observatory on Social Housing 