Housing First Partners Conference
Due to COVID-19 protocols, attendance to HFPC 2022 will be limited to approximately 900 people.
HFPC will return to a carefully planned, in-person meeting with managed capacity limits to ensure everyone’s health and safety.
Join us for a dynamic three-day conference and pre-conference institutes that will feature workshops, plenaries, 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 world and to engage with and debate with your colleagues and leaders in the field.
HFPC has established a foundational forum and dialogue for housing, health, behavioral health and substance-use service providers, as well as federal, state and local government officials, researchers, advocates, trainers, peers, funders and thought leaders engaged in ending homelessness through Housing First. The conference continues to provide an opportunity for individuals, organizations, communities and the government to work together to learn, collaborate and expand the implementation of Housing First across all elements of homelessness services, housing systems, research and policy change.
Housing First works! Housing First is recognizing that everyone can achieve stability in housing. Evidence shows that housing is the foundation for achieving goals to improve health, recovery and well-being. HFPC 2022 will provide a forum to put housing first, and provide people access to the care and support they need to maintain housing and achieve a good quality of life. At its core, HFPC represents the struggles and hopes of the people most impacted by Housing First – the hundreds and thousands who have already chartered their own recovery from homelessness, mental conditions, abuse or addiction, and an equally large number who may soon benefit from the stability, respect and hope that Housing First can bring them.
Conference attendees include representatives from local, state and federal governments; research and policy experts; funders; medical and behavioral health practitioners; housing and homeless service providers; property managers; peer specialists; veterans; people with lived experience of homelessness; faith community representatives; and more. Participants attend from across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Nearly 1200 people attended our past conferences. This year our capacity will be limited so REGISTER EARLY!
Monday, April 11th 2022
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Pre-Conference Institute 5: “Methamphetamine and Opiate Trends and Harm Reduction Based Interventions"
Harm Reduction based services are a backbone to the Housing First model. DESC, Pathways to Housing PA, and the University of Washington have teamed up to develop this session that will explore recent trends in methamphetamine and opiate use with a specific focus on discussion of harm reduction-based services for people who use drugs.
Presenters:
Rosa Friedman, BA (she/her) joined Pathways to Housing PA in 2019 and currently works as a Service Coordinator/Forensic Liaison on an ACT team for individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. Prior to this, Rosa worked at Prevention Point Philadelphia providing case management services. There she took part in the Kensington Encampment Resolution Pilot Program, which connected 179 people to housing services and became a model for encampment resolution initiatives. Rosa is a believer in harm reduction as both a practice and a philosophy. She received her Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bryn Mawr College.
Andrew Spiers, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s Housing First University. Andrew joined Pathways in early 2018 and served as an Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader before launching Housing First University in October 2019. Andrew holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. He has taught Human Services and Sociology courses as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and conducted trainings and workshops all over the country on Housing First, harm reduction, and affirming care for LGBTQ+ communities.
Wednesday, April 13th 2022
9:00 AM - 9:50 AM
“Housing First, Not Housing Forever: Making Way for Graduation”
After 13 years of providing Housing First services, Pathways to Housing PA graduated our first class of participants to the newly formed Alumni Association in September 2020. Join us as we share lessons learned and discuss themes of self-determination, accountability, limitations of housing market, housing vouchers, and supporting participant self-advocates.
Presenters:
Zack Hill, BA: is the Coordinator for Alumni and Advocacy Services at Pathways to Housing PA. He works with Pathways participants to reclaim their lives through graduating to higher levels of independence, and by advocating for structural change. He operates under the not-so-radical notion that housing is a human right.
Clifford Williams: is an Alum of the inaugural 2020 graduating class of Pathways to Housing PA. He is a passionate advocate for justice, speaking before legislators from local City Councilmembers all the way up to Senators. He has been a staple member of the Pathways community for over a decade.
Wednesday, April 13th 2022
3:00 PM - 3:50 AM
“We Take Care of Us: LGBTQ+ Community in Housing First”
Studies show that 17% of sexual minority individuals and 30% of transgender people experience homelessness during their lifetime, yet members of these communities are often underrepresented among our participant populations. Hear the perspectives of queer/trans staff and participants in a Housing First program, and our strategies for providing culturally-responsive care.
Presenters:
Katrina Delancey (she/they) was accepted into the Pathways to Housing PA program in August 2018. She obtained permanent housing in October 2018 and has been in her apartment since then. She enjoys advocating for the less fortunate, spending time with her cat, and addressing her traumas.
Candy Fitchett (she/her) has been a participant in the Pathways to Housing PA program since February 2020. She has been living in her most current apartment since June 2021. Candy enjoys spending her time cooking, cleaning, reading the Bible, and taking care of her plants.
Miles Newman, BA (he/him) joined Pathways to Housing PA in 2019 as a Service Coordinator and now serves as his team’s Substance Use Specialist. He conducts community outreach, facilitates connections to behavioral health programs, and provides advocacy and other case management services to program participants. Miles is currently pursuing his MSW degree.
Andrew Spiers, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s Housing First University. Andrew joined Pathways in early 2018 and served as an Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader before launching Housing First University in October 2019. Andrew holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. He has taught Human Services and Sociology courses as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and conducted trainings and workshops all over the country on Housing First, harm reduction, and affirming care for LGBTQ+ communities.