The proposed session brings forward ideas, concepts, practices, lessons learned, and/or challenges faced by the homeless response system.

The proposed session encourages active participation and contribution from all partners in the development and implementation of initiatives to reduce homelessness.

The session primarily is designed to bring people together and build connections, relationships, understanding across organizations and across areas of difference.

1. Conference content promotes equity by addressing outcomes and processes that recognize and undo structural oppression(s).

2. Content should explicitly acknowledge and address the disproportionate experience of homelessness/housing insecurity among marginalized communities, particularly Black, African American or African communities; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander communities; American Indian, Alaska Native or Indigenous communities; Latina/Latino/Latinx/Latine communities; Asian or Asian American communities; Adults over the age of 55; LGBTQIA2S+ communities; and people with disabilities.  An intersectional approach to equity should be emphasized.

3. Proposals should demonstrate a commitment to centering the voices and experiences of marginalized communities in all aspects of programming, including representation among speakers, panelists, and workshop facilitators.

1. Conference content promotes collaboration by fostering connections between homeless services providers, community organizations, government agencies, and the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS).

2. Proposals should outline concrete strategies for facilitating meaningful dialogue, information sharing, and resource collaboration among the diverse expertise, perspectives, and resources within the homeless services community.

3. Emphasis should be placed on identifying and disseminating best practices, sharing lessons learned, and collectively addressing challenges faced by the homelessness response system.

4. Collaboration should extend beyond the conference itself to ongoing partnerships and networks aimed at building collective accountability and promoting sustainable solutions.

Session facilitators listen to the concerns/ideas of attendees that are related to the subject matter.  Facilitators work alongside attendees to engage with solution focused responses to identified problems or challenges.

Facilitators lead a group or panel that includes at minimum JOHS staff and provider staff (ideally from both established providers, new/emerging providers and culturally specific providers) to provide content, perspectives and/or insights related to the subject matter.  The panel may dialogue with each other and/or with attendees.  Must at minimum include a Q&A.

JOHS and a provider organize a joint presentation on a topic to share the different perspectives on the subject matter.  Collaborative presentations can include dialogue between JOHS and the provider, as well as between the collaborative presenters and attendees. Must at minimum include a Q&A.

JOHS and/or providers can table, create fliers, posters or other visual communication to share information or perspectives on a topic.  The passive presentations should be available throughout the conference and not tied to a particular time period.  While these are described as ‘passive’, these visual sessions should include interactive components, such as periods of staffed question and answer, or collecting written responses.