Be Fair, Europe – Stand Up for Homeless People

An ALDE seminar co-hosted by Marian Harkin & Sylvie Goulard at the European Parliament

March 20-21 2017

Venue: European Parliament - Altiero Spinelli Entrance, Rue Wiertz 60, 1047 Brussels

This half day European seminar will take stock of homelessness and housing exclusion in the EU. Policymakers, stakeholders and homeless people will discuss how the EU can work together with national governments, regions, cities and other stakeholders to implement strategies to prevent and eliminate homelessness to deliver on the EU and UN’s commitment to “leave no one behind” by 2030. FEANTSA & the Fondation Abbé Pierre will present the Second “Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe”, showing how member states are performing. FEANTSA will launch its 2017 campaign Be Fair Europe – Stand Up for Homeless People, which seeks to put the fight against homelessness at the heart of the EU’s 2030 agenda.

Download the Programme

Monday 20 March 2017 (19h00) - meet at the meeting point (glass building to the left of the European Parliament (Place Luxembourg entrance) at 6pm.

Performance by the High Hopes Choir (sponsored by Marian Harkin MEP, Nessa Childers MEP, Deidre Clune MEP, Luke Ming Flanagan MEP and Brian Hayes MEP)

Tuesday 21 March 2017 (10h00 – 12h30) - meet at the meeting point (glass building to the left of the European Parliament (Place Luxembourg entrance) at 9:15am.

Registration: 09h15

1. Opening (10h00 – 10h10)

  • Welcome by Marian Harkin and Sylvie Goulard (Members of the European Parliament) 

2. Video testimonies of housing exclusion from different European cities & testimonies from the room (10h10 –10:30)

3. Highlights from the Report “Second Overview of Housing Exclusion in Europe 2017” (10h30 – 11h10) 

  • Chair Marian Harkin
  • Presentation by Ruth Owen & Chloé Serme-Morin (FEANTSA & Fondation Abbé Pierre)
  • Manuel Domergue (Fondation Abbé Pierre)
  • Discussion with the room 

 4. "Choir as an Alternative Therapy Model" (11h10 – 11h35)

  • Presentation by Glen Alexander National Director for High Hopes Choir  
  • Two personal testimonies by Members of the High Hopes Choir
  • Video presentation from Choir Au Claire de la Rue

5. Panel: Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the EU: Where are we and where should we be by 2030? (11h35-12h15)

  • Chair Sylvie Goulard MEP
  • Panelists :

-         Raquel Cortes Herrera (European Commission, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General Employment and Social Affairs)

-         Mike Allan (Focus Ireland/the European Observatory on Homelessness)

-         Sorcha Edwards (Housing Europe)

  • Discussion with the room

 6. Closing speech: Launch of FEANTSA Campaign “Be Fair, Europe – Stand up for  Homeless People” by Freek Spinnewijn (FEANTSA) (12h15-12h25)

 7. Closing Remarks by Marian Harkin and Sylvie Goulard

 Tea & Coffee (12h30)

 

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