Homeless in Europe Magazine Autumn 2023 - Par­tic­i­pa­tion and Home­less­ness: De­cen­tral­is­ing Authority

In this edition of our magazine, we take a deep dive into how homeless services have been implementing participation in recent years, bringing forward successful examples of real participation. We explore a collection of articles that spotlight the voices of those who have experienced homelessness, shedding light on how their active involvement is inspiring innovation within services, challenging stereotypes, and influencing policies on homelessness.

As you navigate through these articles, you may observe a common thread: participation not only prevents the reinforcement of marginalising power dynamics, but it is necessary for transformation. Numerous challenges remain for achieving real participation, such as limited funding opportunities and the need for broader policy changes for substantial progress, as explored in the articles within. We hope this edition of the magazine may serve as inspiration for how participation may be successfully implemented in our efforts ahead of the 2030 deadline. Ultimately, the respect we aspire to promote for those individuals both in situations of homelessness and with past experiences of homelessness, must begin within our services themselves. We must recognise the knowledge of those with lived experiences of homelessness as exactly that - knowledge.