National Homelessness Conference

The 8th National Homelessness Conference on the Gold Coast this September is set to connect the interwoven and complex pieces of the homelessness puzzle and play a part in the bigger picture of homelessness.

Several hundred delegates from Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific will come together for three days, between 10–12 September 2014 for this biennial conference of  front-line providers, academics, governments and agencies and those with a lived experience of homelessness.

Homelessness can happen to anyone. On any given night in Australia more than 105,000 people don’t have a safe and secure place to call home.

Homelessness affects us all. From the devastating personal harm, to the impact on society, to the costs to government.

Homelessness is more than a roof over your head it affects the way people think, act and interact with others, it affects their health, mental health, education and job opportunities.

You may see someone every day and not know they are homeless. Nearly all (96 per cent) of people experiencing homelessness are hidden – in overcrowded houses, homelessness services, boarding houses or staying with friends or family. If so many people who are homeless are invisible how can we even begin to address it?

Homelessness doesn’t have to be someone’s defining attribute. Homelessness can be a temporary setback. But to do this people need to get a hand up – a network of services available to bring them back to their feet and into society.

Individuals, organisations and governments in communities across Australia, and across the world, work to assist those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

As the only sector-developed, solely homelessness-focused conference, the 8th National Homelessness Conference helps to connect the interwoven and complex pieces of the homelessness puzzle and plays a part of the bigger picture of homelessness.

The #NHC2014 offers a robust look at issues, strategies, policies and successes from across the entire sector – from youth to older people, men and women, domestic violence and exiting care, research, strategies, policies and funding and success stories – there promises to be opportunities for you to take home, personally and professionally, from more than 50 presentations and workshops.

This is your chance to:

• Share experiences, successes and challenges
• Be inspired by more than 50 experts from across the world
• Learn from national research
• Gain professional development
• Engage with business on sustainable models
• Network and build relationships

The 8th National Homelessness Conference is hosted by Homelessness Australia.

Homelessness Australia is the peak body for homelessness services in Australia. They work with individuals, services, academics and government to provide advocacy, information, research and recommendations about how we can prevent, and end, homelessness in Australia.

For more information on the 8th National Homelessness Conference visit www.nhca.net.au

For more information about Homelessness Australia visit www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au