07 | Housing First in Germany: Recent developments and challenges
Tracks
English
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 |
| 13:15 - 14:15 |
Details
The introduction of the Housing First approach in Germany came relatively late, compared with other European countries, but with a remarkable dynamic. First debates about “doing it already” and “cannot do it because of the lack of housing” have been overcome and the approach is now widely accepted as part of a differentiated support system for homeless people. Still most of the around 50 different housing first projects are funded as pilots for a limited period. The presentation will inform about the target groups, strategies to procure housing, staff issues, the main types of support provided, and about the efforts and challenges for scaling up Housing First in Germany.
Speaker
Volker Busch-Geertsema
Project Leader And Board Member
Giss
Housing First in Germany: Recent developments and challenges
Biography
Prof. Dr. Volker Busch-Geertsema is a senior researcher at the Association for Innovative Social Research and Social Planning (GISS, Bremen, Germany), Coordinator of the European Observatory on Homelessness and co-editor of the European Journal of Homelessness and has been doing homelessness research in Germany and Europe for more than 30 years. He was appointed honorary professor by Heriot Watt University in 2015 (renewed several times). In the European and international context, he has participated as lead partner in a number of projects, focusing on measuring homelessness (including the EU funded project Measurement of Homelessness at European Union Level), prevention of homelessness and on strategies to minimise homelessness. He has led the Housing First Europe project and promoted the Housing First approach in Germany through a whole range of articles and presentations. He has produced indepth evaluations of Housing First projects in Leipzig, Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia and provided recommendations for the implementation of Housing First in various regional states.
