Woonbond is a large tenants rights organization based in Amsterdam. The company considers itself the voice of renters from throughout the country. More than half of the residents in social housing are somehow connected to Woonbond through its membership and advocacy. That’s more than 1.5 million members or 53% of all tenants in Holland. Woonbond’s… Read More Woonbond: Representing the Tenants of the Netherlands
Communism is over. Now what? I can imagine that is what the leaders of Estonia thought as the massive structural changes begin to take place in the country. Estonia more than many other former Warsaw Pact countries pulled this transformation off while maintain a steady increase in the quality of live for years on end. But,… Read More Communism is Overin Estonia- Now What?
Berlin is known as a dynamic city with reasonable costs of living compared to other European capitals. Because of this reputation, Berlin’s population over the last decade grew while inflicting new pressures on the increasingly tight housing market. Once a city where a flat could be had for a few hundred euro’s a month is… Read More Social Housing in Berlin: The Sexy City That is No Longer Poor
My fellowship year has allowed me to participate in dozens of interesting meetings and programs. Recently a door opened that allowed me to observe an ongoing transatlantic dialog between Germany and the USA. Through connections at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Bundesinstitut fur Bau-Stadt und Raumforschung, I received an invitation to… Read More Deliberate Civic Engagement: Are You Doing Enough?
Anyone who visited Hamburg knows it is a world class city. The city is bustling and the food, entertainment and nightlife are top notch. Like any great city, it is made by the people that live there. A city cannot reach its full potential without a diverse population. Different ages, income levels, races, ethnicities all… Read More Social Housing in Hamburg Part II:
Hamburg growth in the 1980’s was not as strong as other areas of Germany because of structural changes. Since the 90s, the picture has changed. With the unification of Germany, Hamburg made economic strides, especially in international trading and business. Hamburg is also seen as an attractive city independently of its development of knowledge and service centers.… Read More Social Housing In Hamburg Part I
It is February and the streets are quite compared to the summer. However; there are a number of tourists bustling around Barcelona taking in the sunshine, wine, food and culture. The city altered itself into one of the most dynamic and stylish capitals in the world. Year-round the city is alive, it is always on… Read More Hiring Homeless to Give City Tours
Article: The Finnish Homeless Strategy Summarized by Josh Crites Overview Finland recently completed a second phase of a national program intended to dramatically reduce homelessness. What is different with the Finnish approach is the country came together to create a national strategy with a total effort on using the Housing First model. The summary report… Read More Strategic Planning and Homelessness: Finland, the UK, the USA and Sweden
A question that needs to be asked by social housing providers both in the USA and Europe is what role do we take in regards to those who are completely homeless. At first thought, the answer seems simple. Social housing providers will do anything possible to help reduce the number of people who are homeless. … Read More Social Housing’s challenges in housing homeless in Europe.
I am truly lucky for this year abroad researching and looking at social housing and homeless programs in Germany and the EU. The world is increasingly more global and sharing of best practices can not be limited to country borders. As I researched homeless programs in Germany, I came across the name of a Dr.… Read More Housing First in Europe- 5 Short Summaries of Test Sites
Housing Futures 