Building Sustainable Supportive Housing Together - PolicyTalk

Our Goal

Homelessness continues to be a concern for London residents, communities, and nonprofits who serve them. The Big Picture 2025 Report highlighed housing, homelessness, and equity as some of the key areas of concern in London. 

This session will bring together insights from local data, research, and lived experience to explore what is working, where gaps remain, and how we can strengthen health and housing integration. The discussion will also address stigma faced by people experiencing homelessness, while supporting coordinated, cross-sector action to advance sustainable supportive housing solutions in our community.

This Event Will:  

• Connect academic research, local data, and lived experiences to deepen understanding of the root causes, scale, and impacts of homelessness, and the need for sustained, system-level investment in supportive housing in London.
  
  
• Examine current homelessness and supportive housing responses in London to identify what is working, where gaps remain, and where systems are falling short - particularly in health and housing integration.
  
  
• Highlight the role of supportive housing as a preventative health and social intervention, including its relationship to hospital discharge practices, emergency department use, and continuity of care.
  
  
• Contribute to reframing public narratives around homelessness by reducing stigma, countering NIMBYism, and reinforcing the idea of people experiencing homelessness as neighbours and community members.
  
  
• Create a space for meaningful dialogue among researchers, people with lived experience, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, healthcare partners, and frontline practitioners to strengthen relationships and encourage coordinated, cross-sector system-level support.

Presentation and Panel Discussion 

This event will feature a data-informed presentation on the state of supportive housing in London, followed by a panel discussion with dedicated time for audience questions and contributions. The panel is designed to foster a rich and inclusive conversation and will include four members: a municipal policymaker, a supportive housing researcher, a frontline nonprofit supportive housing leader, and an individual with lived experience of homelessness.

Who should attend

Policy Talks are for everyone. We especially encourage nonprofit organizations, board members, frontline workers, municipal policymakers, city staff, systems change advocates, and community members to attend. By bringing together people across roles, identities, and sectors, we can break down silos, share our collective knowledge and resources, and strengthen our commitment to creating change.