12 | Translating Housing First into Practice: Tools in Action
Tracks
English
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 |
| 14:45 - 15:45 |
Details
This hands-on workshop introduces creative tools that help professionals actively translate Housing First principles into daily practice. Developed by the Housing First Center of Expertise, the tools include serious games and interactive methods addressing common challenges such as nuisance, loneliness, and complex client situations.
In the first half of the session, participants will learn how the tools were developed, how the Center of Expertise operates, and how real-life experience and collaboration with frontline workers shape innovation. In the second half, participants will engage with several tools themselves—experiencing firsthand how game-based and creative formats enhance reflection, decision-making, and support strategies. Participants will leave with practical ideas they can apply in their own teams and services.
Speaker
Valerie Boogaard
Manager Center Of Expertise
Center of Expertise HV0-Querido
Translating Housing First into Practice: Tools in Action
Biography
Valerie Boogaard, born in Spain to a French mother and an English father, now lives in the Netherlands. Trained in social psychology, she began her career with Doctors Without Borders before dedicating the past 17 years to Housing First in Amsterdam. She is the manager of the Center for Expertise at HVO Querido, which covers areas including Housing First, sex work, human trafficking, and stigma. Her specialty is translating methodologies into creative tools that inspire professionals and drive meaningful change in housing, care, and participation.
