19th European Research Conference on Homelessness
September 18th and 19th, 2025
Utrecht, Netherlands
VENUE: Leeuwenbergh Church and Centraal Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN ON 2 JUNE
FEANTSA’s European Observatory on Homelessness and the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht are pleased to announce the 19th European Research Conference on Homelessness in Utrecht, the Netherlands on September 18th and 19th, 2025. This is Europe’s leading research conference on homelessness and will explore recent evidence on the broad theme of homelessness and housing exclusion from across Europe and elsewhere. Early career researchers are also invited to present their research activities. This is an in-person conference.
Keynote Speakers:
Dorieke Wewerinke, NL is a senior researcher at Research Group ‘Housing and Welfare’ of Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on prevention of and solutions for homelessness, with specific expertise on Housing First, the ETHOS-definition, social integration and destigmatization. She leads the ETHOS counts of homelessness in the Netherlands.
Lia van Doorn, NL is a professor and chair of the Research Group ‘Housing and Welfare’ of Utrecht University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht. She has over 30 years of experience in research focusing on homelessness. She conducted a PhD at University Utrecht on a longitudinal study of a cohort of homeless people in Utrecht (1993-2000).
Peter Mackie, UK is a professor in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University, where his research and advisory work are centred on homelessness prevention. He has been involved in the global expansion of the ‘Upstream’ homelessness prevention intervention, which focuses on supporting children and young people in schools. Peter is a founding editor of the International Journal on Homelessness and serves as Chair of Llamau, Wales’s leading youth homelessness charity.
Gregg Colburn, US is an associate professor in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington in Seattle. He studies housing policy, housing markets, and homelessness and is co-author of the book, Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns (University of California Press, 2022). Gregg also serves as a member of the research council of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (U.S.).
Planned Schedule:
The conference will be held on Thursday and Friday, September 18th - 19th, 2025, starting at 13:00 on Thursday and closing at 20:00 on Friday. Optional field visits will be planned for Thursday morning. The conference dinner will be held on Thursday evening.
Venue and Fees:
The sessions of the Conference will be held at the Leeuwenbergh Church and Centraal Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands. The conference fee is 200 EURO (incl. meals, coffee breaks and conference dinner). Presenters and PhD students pay a reduced fee of 100 EURO. Registration will be open from June 2nd, 2025. A detailed cancellation policy will be announced on the registration page.
PROGRAMME
18th SEPTEMBER, THURSDAY
MORNING I Site visits organised by HU
12h30 – 13h30 I Registrations (Leeuwenbergh church)
13h30 – 14h00 I Welcome and Introduction (Aula of Leeuwenbergh church)
Opening by Jules van Dam, President of FEANTSA
Welcome by Dennis de Vries, alderman of Utrecht
14h00 – 15h30 I Plenary Session I (Room: Aula of Leeuwenbergh church)
Chair: Volker Busch-Geertsema, DE
Dorieke Wewerinke, NL: Ending Homelessness in the Netherlands?
Lia van Doorn, NL: The Impact of ETHOS Counts in the Netherlands
15h30 – 16h00 I Coffee break & walk to the seminar venues (Leuwenbergh church and Centraal Museum)
Both venues will offer coffee. Please get your coffee at the place where your next session will be.
16h00 – 17h30 I SEMINAR SESSION ONE
Seminar 1: Women and Homelessness
Chair: Nicholas Pleace, UK
Ana María Munizaga Acuña, Chile: Between Two Cities: A Comparative Study of the Living Conditions and Survival Strategies of Women experiencing homelessness in Santiago (Chile) and Barcelona (Spain) and the Public Policy Responses in Both Contexts
Cristina Lidon Moyano, Emiliano Navarro, Ignasi Oliveras, Isabel Morales, Ignacio Macpherson, Sonia Paz-Cantos, Pere Castellví, Consuelo León-Llorente, ES: Homelessness and Mental Health in Barcelona: A Gender Perspective Study
Seminar 2: Housing First I
Chair: Volker Busch-Geertsema, DE
Elisabetta Leni, FI: Examining Housing Trajectories and Service Use Patterns Among Homeless Individuals in Finland: The Impact of ousing First Interventions
Sarah Johnsen, UK: Gaining and Preserving Pioneer Status: Key Lessons from the Housing First Pathfinder Programme in Scotland
Seminar 3: Housing Programs I
Chair: Maša Filipovič Hrast, SI
Maarten Davelaar, Aly Gruppen, Dieke van Ewijk, NL: Supporting the Individual and the Community: Connecting People with Experience in Homelessness and Their Neighbours in Mixed Housing Projects
Henrique Joaquim, Pedro Martins, Fábio Simão, PT: Evaluating the Impact of “Shared Apartments” as an innovative Housing Response for Homelessness People in Portugal
Seminar 4: Policy Design
Chair: Mike Allen, IE
Marta B. Borges, Ines Amaro, Alexandra Camilo, PT: The Social Risk Assessment Scale: A Tool for Identifying and Responding to Social Emergencies
Michelle Binfield, Luke Arundel, Guillermo Rodriguez-Guzman and Graeme Gardner, UK: The UK’s Test & Learn & Systems-Wide programme: Using evidence to accelerate an end to homelessness
Seminar 5: Women and Homelessness I
Chair: Nóra Teller, HU
García-Cid Alba, Itziar Gandarias, Paula Torres, ES: From Residential Spaces to Safe Housing: An Analysis of Low-Threshold Accommodation Models for Women in Situations of Social Exclusion
Raluca Budian, Ignasi Martin, ES: Sub-letting and Trapped: On the Lived Experience of Women Sharing Accommodations
Seminar 6: Clusters and Groups of People Experiencing Homelessness
Chair: Lars Benjaminsen, DK
Paula Mayock, Pathie Maphosa, IE: The Changing Landscape of Youth Homelessness: An Analysis of Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS) Data, 2023, in Ireland
Gloria Puchol-Ros, Juan Mauel Rodilla, Sol Balsells-Mejía, ES: Identifying Subgroups in the Homeless Population: A Cluster Analysis of Individuals in Transitional Housing in Valencia
19th SEPTEMBER, FRIDAY
9h00 – 9h30 I Coffee (Leuwenbergh church and Centraal Museum)
Please get your coffee at the place where your next session will be.
9h00 – 9h30 I Poster Session (Room: Aula Leeuwenbergh church)
For bios and abstracts of the poster presenters, please scroll down.
9h30 – 10h50 I SEMINAR SESSION TWO
Seminar 7: Measurement Methods I
Chair: Nóra Teller, HU
Volker Busch-Geertsema and Marie-Therese Haj Ahmad, DE: Aligning an EU-wide Data Collection on Homelessness with Existing National Data Collection Systems
Evelien Demaerschalk, Nana Mertens, Koen Hermans, Nóra Teller, BE/HU: The European Homelessness Count
Seminar 8: Health and Homelessness II
Chair: Freek Spinnewijn, BE
Michelle Cornes, Joanne Coombes, UK: Ending Discharge to the Street After Hospital - What Works?
Jess Harris, UK: ‘Mental Capacity’ Assessments: Opening or Slamming the Door on Support for People Experiencing Homelessness?
Seminar 9: Housing Programs I
Chair: Maša Filipovič Hrast, SI
Ivana Siglova, CZ: Medium-term effects of the Housing first intervention for families with children in Brno, Czech Republic
Ciara Morley, IE: Approved Housing Bodies as Landlords to People Moving Out of Homelessness
Seminar 10: Family Homelessness
Chair: Nicholas Pleace, UK
Susana Batle Cladera, Núria Martínez Company, Jezabel Cartoixà Garcia, ES: Families Facing Residential Exclusion: A Case Study at Es Convent Residential Center (FSJD), Mallorca
Michel Vols, NL: Evictions and Child Homelessness in the Netherlands: A Quantitative Court Case Study
Seminar 11: Trajectories
Chair: Eoin O’Sullivan, IE
Philipp Schnell, Judith Schnelzer, AT: Pathways of Homelessness, Housing Transitions, and the Role of Social Services for Mediating Long-Term Housing Solutions
Veera Niemi, Jarkko Rasinkangas, Aleksi Karhula, Elisabetta Leni, FI: Longitudinal Analysis of Housing Histories and Service Utilization Among the Homeless in Turku, Finland
Seminar 12: Women and Homelessness II
Chair: Lars Benjaminsen, UK
Dóra Welker, Hyojin Seo, BE/NL: Gendered Homelessness in Europe
Méabh Savage, Boróka Fehér, Dalma Fabian, IE/HU/BE: Exploring Homeless Women’s Experiences of Safety Using Their ‘Visual Voices’- An Introduction to and Preliminary Findings From Participatory Action Research in 7 European Countries
10h50 – 11h30 I Coffee break and walk to your next session (Leuwenbergh church and Centraal Museum)
Please get your coffee at the place where your next session will be.
10h50 – 11h30 I Poster Session (Room: Aula Leeuwenbergh church)
For bios and abstracts of the poster presenters, please scroll down.
11h30 – 12h50 I SEMINAR SESSION THREE
Seminar 13: Measurement Methods II
Chair: Koen Hermans, BE
Oona Kenny, IE: Attempting to Count Hidden Homelessness in the Dublin Region; A Methodological Account
Teresa Consoli, Fiorenza Beluzzi, Elisabetta Sciotto, Alessandro Venezia, Caterina Cortese, IT: Experiencing Street Count in Italy
Seminar 14: Health and Homelessness
Chair: Nóra Teller, HU
Michela Tinelli and Joanne Coombes, UK: Evaluating the Economic Impact of Intermediate Care for People Experiencing Homelessness: Lessons from Implementation in England
Martin Simon, CZ: Health Equity Failure We Allow: Evaluation Study of Joint Social Work and Healthcare Provision
Seminar 15: Housing Programs II
Chair: Nicholas Pleace, UK
Lorraine Guénée, Ysé Bedo, Julio Davalos, FR: An Elephant in the Room, Study of a Public-Private Partnership Between Samusocial de Paris and its Welfare Hotel Suppliers
Renée de Vet, NL: Temporary Rapid Rehousing Initiatives, as Part of a Housing-Led Approach
Seminar 16: Migration and Homelessness
Chair: Volker Busch-Geertsema, DE
Dion Kramer, Annie Berendsen, Jan de Vries, NL: Mobilising the Rights of EU Citizens Experiencing Homelessness: Obstacles and Dynamics of Social Change in the Netherlands
Miroslava Hlincikova, Martina Wilsch, SK: Housing as a Critical Precondition for Stability: Ukrainian Refugees in Slovakia
Seminar 17: Innovative Research Methods
Chair: Maša Filipovič Hrast, SI
Alex Abramovich, CA: Pathways Interrupted: 2SLGBTQ+ Youth Leading Responses to Hidden Homelessness in Ontario, Canada
Frédérique Leresche, Giada De Coulon, Aubert Baptiste, CH: Living Without a Home: An Intersectional Research-Creation on Homelessness in Switzerland
Seminar 18: Criminalisation of Homelessness
Chair: Freek Spinnewijn, BE
Stefan van Tongeren, NL: From Street to Sanction – The Criminalisation of Homelessness in the Netherlands
Jan Weckwerth, DE: Disentangling Urban Strategies to Dispel, Remove and Repress People Experiencing Homelessness in the Context of Commodification and Re-Regulation of Public Space
13h00 – 14h00 Lunch break (Aula Leeuwenbergh church)
10h50 – 11h30 I Poster Session (Room: Aula Leeuwenbergh church)
For bios and abstracts of the poster presenters, please scroll down.
14h00 – 15h20 I SEMINAR SESSION 4
Seminar 19: Measurement Methods III
Chair: Koen Hermans, BE
Hermund Urstad, Hilde Hatleskog Zeiner, NO: The National Survey of Homelessness in Norway – Problems and Solutions
Masa Filipovič Hrast, Jera Sernel, Hana Košan, SI: Homelessness Count in Ljubljana
Lucy Campbell, Eleanor Greenhalgh, UK: The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census in England (title to be confirmed)
Seminar 20: Housing First
Chair: Volker Busch-Geertsema, DE
Riikka Perälä, Saija Turunen & Axel Morgan, FI: From Fidelity to Adaptations: A Qualitative Analysis of Contextual Factors Shaping Housing First
Caterina Cortese, IT: Tackling homelessness with Housing First Programmes and Personalized Social Support: the HF Italy Experience
Seda Rass-Turgut, DE: Housing First for Everyone? Challenges and Strategies for an Inclusive Approach in Municipal Homelessness Services
Seminar 21: Mortality of People Experiencing Homelessness
Chair: Lars Benjaminsen, DK
Magdalena Mostowska, Ewelina Biczyńska, Mateusz Słomski, PL: Exploring the Data on Homeless Mortality in Poland
Daniel C. Farrell, Ashwin Parulkar, Tina Goodrich, Steve McFeely & Danielle Devine, USA: Responding to Mortality Risks of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Tenants in New York City
Seminar 22: Prevention of Youth Homelessness Based on Work with the Family
Chair: Eoin O’Sullivan, IE
Sarah Sheridan, IE: Youth Family Mediation in Preventing Youth Homelessness: The Importance of Early Intervention
Nia Rees, UK: "It Started at Home": A Critical Examination of Family Mediation as an Intervention to Prevent Youth Homelessness
Seminar 23: Social Support Networks
Chair: Nicholas Pleace, UK
Karen Corbett, Gloria Puchol-Ros, Juan Manuel Rodilla, ES: Informal Support Networks and Homelessness in Spain: A Quantitative Study on Social, Health, and Economic Determinants
Max Huber and Meta de Lange, NL: Improving the Social Network of Homeless People in the Netherlands. A study on Network Support Provided by Shelter Organizations
Seminar 24: Trauma Informed Care in Service Provision
Chair: Lia van Doorn, NL
Tessa Hagen, Kim Nieuwburg, NL: The Effects of Implementing Trauma-Informed Care: A New Integrated Approach within De Regenboog Groep
Eszter Somogyi, Nóra Teller, Alena Vachnova, Noémi Vajdovich and Elena Zagorova, HU/SK: Integrated Health and Social Service Delivery: A Needs Assessment Among Clients of Homeless Services in Central and Eastern Europe
15h20 – 16h00 I Coffee break
Please note that the closing plenary is in Leuwenbergh church. Please save enough time to get there for the start of the session.
16h00 – 17h30 Plenary Session II (Room: Aula of Leeuwenbergh church)
Chair: Volker Busch-Geertsema, DE
Pete Mackie, UK: Prioritizing Prevention
Gregg Colburn, USA: Homelessness is a Housing Problem
17h30 I Drinks reception (Aula of Leeuwenbergh church)
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Lotte Lammens, BE: An Evaluative Framework for the Accessibility of Healthcare for People Experiencing Homelessness: A Human Rights Perspective
Mattia Mansueto, BE: Housing First For Youth: A Scoping Review of Implementation, Outcomes, and Challenges
Samuel P. Jones, DK: Mobilizing Network Support for Homeless People
Eleonore Macerata, DK: Beyond Borders, Beneath the Surface: Homeless Migrants in Denmark – Hidden Realities and Systemic Interactions in a Welfare System
Luca Szöőr-Fülöp, HU: The Exclusionary Mechanisms of the Welfare State
Noémi Vajdovich, HU: The Conceptualisation and the Results of the 2024 Headcount in Budapest
Hayley Swanton, IE: The Role of Housing and Support in Fostering Care-Full Relationships in the Community for People Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties (PEMHD)
Nienke Boesveldt, Mette Palm, Roy Gigengack NL: „Homelessness Is Not A Disease... Fuck You With Your Recovery!" Identity Work among Recurrently Homeless Men Facing Institutional Power
Menno Hoppen, NL: Co-Production in Homeless Services: Conditions for Meaningful Involvement
Mihai Ivascu, RO: Addressing Psychiatric Treatment Barriers and Solutions for People Experiencing Homelessness
Emory Paul, US: „Homeless, Not Helpless”: How Homeless Unions Transform the Local Political Life of the Unhoused
Organised & Supported by:
