The Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness will co-host a conference on DePaul's campus March 21-23. This is the institute's latest gathering of international advocates to address this critical issue, including for a conference on the Loop Campus in 2018. (DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)
Homelessness is a global challenge. The
United Nations Human Settlements Program estimates that 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing. This March, international experts working to address homelessness will gather for a conference at DePaul University. Organizers are seeking volunteers from DePaul and spreading the word about the event, which will be a platform for global and inclusive knowledge exchange on preventing, reducing and ending homelessness.
The Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness is
jointly hosting the conference with the International Journal on Homelessness, the first and only peer-reviewed, academic journal that explores homelessness through a global lens.
"Hosting at DePaul allows us to showcase our commitment to global partnerships and research of the highest academic rigor, as well as highlight the application of that research to positive social impact beyond our walls," says Lydia Stazen, director of IGH. "DePaul has a particular commitment to thought leadership on global homelessness, as referenced in the university's current strategic plan."
Some 300 policymakers, academics, practitioners and people with the lived experience of homelessness will convene at the event, and the
agenda is now posted online. The conference is open to all disciplines and knowledge systems that target preventing and ending homelessness. As a global conference, presenters will tie their experience and research to larger debates and global expressions of homelessness.
Registration is open, and fees were tiered on principles of equity and inclusion to primarily support people with lived experience of homelessness and those without access to professional development or travel funds.
Stazen is recruiting approximately 50 volunteers to serve as hosts for in-person and virtual breakout rooms. If you are interested in volunteering in lieu of paying the registration fee, please email
lstazen@depaul.edu.
More information about the conference is
available online.