HI in Conversation is an opportunity to come together online with others around the world to discuss a topic relating to homeshare. Sessions are scheduled in UTC. You can convert UTC to the time where you are here and there is a link to a UTC convertor at the bottom of each upcoming event.
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Spring Series 2025
28 May 2025 at 14:00 UTC*
Presenter: Daniel Fuhrhop, Housing Economist
Topic: Problems and Opportunities of ‘Wohnen für Hilfe’ in Germany
We are delighted that Daniel will be presenting the results of his research and analysis of homeshare programmes in Germany. The questions raised by his findings are pertinent for homeshare programmes everywhere: what factors enable homeshare programmes to flourish? And what factors might make them more likely to fail?
Everyone is welcome to join us. What does Daniel’s research mean for embedding homeshare in your country?
*14:00 is Universal Coordinated Time. You can find your local time for this event here.
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25 June 2025 at 14:00 UTC*
Presenter: Various HI Network Core Members (tbc)
Topic: Scaling up Homeshare
Homeshare practitioners are passionate about the power of homeshare to change lives. But policy makers and politicians are often slow to see homeshare’s potential, in part because of scepticism about its ability to work at a scale necessary to combat the significant pressures posed by a shortage of affordable housing and an ageing population.
In this workshop, different programmes from around the world will share their strategies for scaling up homeshare, without compromising on its core values.
All homeshare providers, policy makers and opinion formers are welcome. Come and see what works in other countries!
*14:00 is Universal Coordinated Time. You can find your local time for this event here.
Past Presentations
Presenter: Paul Cann, co-founder of the Campaign to End Loneliness and former CEP of the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection.
Topic: Homeshare – An Opportunity to Tackle Loneliness
To coincide with the end of Global Intergenerational Week, we are delighted that Paul will be presenting a global picture of loneliness in our communities and the power of intergenerational initiatives, including homeshare, to combat it.
We know that one of the key benefits of homeshare is companionship: join Paul to hear some startling statistics and inspiring ideas for understanding loneliness and creating connection.
Watch a recording of the presentation:
Presenter: Marlene Welzl, cofounder of the Austrian homeshare programme “Wohnbuddy”, with a contribution from Adélaïde Vannier of “Ensemble2Générations” in France.
Topic: Presenting the Impact of Homeshare
We, as homeshare practitioners, are convinced of the positive impact that homeshare creates in society. But how to make this impact visible to others, like governmental organizations, and in particular, if you don´t have much data yet to rely on? In her presentation, Marlene presents a framework you can use to explain the positive impact of homesharing with qualitative data. Adélaïde then provided the perspective of a long-established programme in France, Ensemble2Générations, who have just completed a year-long project to collect data in order to measure their impact.
Watch a recording of the presentation:
For the first time ever, HI Network members had the opportunity to gather in person for HI in Conversation before the 7th World Homeshare Congress in Trento, Italy.
“Managing a Challenging Match: The Importance of Trust and Clear Policies” was presented by Lucie Cunningham from THE Homeshare, Ireland, followed by discussion about issues encountered in a homeshare match and how to address them. As a closed session for practitioners only, it presented an opportunity to share openly and learn from the experience of others in a confidential, supportive environment.
After some refreshments, the focus was on A Vision for the Homeshare International Network with a discussion about how HI can best support its members. Touching on research initiatives, mentoring opportunities and a community of practice, members had the opportunity to tell us how HI could add value to their organisation.
Preparing Annual Reports was a session for HI Network Members on Tuesday, 2 April 2024 led by Connor Timmons of Homeshare Vermont.
Topics addressed included:
- Annual Report Goal Setting
- Anatomy
- Strategies
About the Conversation
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Claire de Kerautem (1Toit2Ages, Belgium) and Estelle de Saint-Bon (Ensemble2Générations, France) presented about the matches that their programmes are making in residential homes. In the chat messages, Adélaïde Vannier explained that in France, RS and RA are like small buildings with more or less 50 apartments/studios. Each senior or couple of seniors has a studio. And we (E2G) have studios for students in the RA/RS, in order to mix the two generations. The students have at least a room, and can be also a studio with kitchen depending on whether it’s a RA/RS or an EHPAD (medical home, no private kitchen). |
This session was in French with translated captions which did not work as intended. The presentation can be viewed here. The film that was shown at the end is the one from Bordeaux. The garbled captions made it difficult to view so it was deleted from the recording; please watch it from the links below. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion.
Watch these films to learn about the placements in the residential homes :
- in Belgium : https://bx1.be/categories/news/anderlecht-des-etudiants-en-maison-de-repos-pour-organiser-des-animations/
- in Bordeaux : Etudiants en résidence autonomie with English subtitles
- in Marseille : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKvy5NKkeag
| View the presentation slides: Tap slide to enlarge |
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| Slides in French | Slides in English |
The HI Network in Conversation was led by Sibel Whitehead of Supportmatch Homeshare with examples of media stories. This session was for registered HI Network Members who discussed their experiences and practices.
Recommendations are being developed in a Best Practices document for Homeshare International Network members.
George Minton from the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development shared the policy considerations and decisions made in order to enable a Homeshare Pilot in New Zealand via the Office for Seniors | Te Tari Kaumātua.
- Participants were especially interested in the Personal Wellbeing Index they use.
HANZA Homeshare Development Officer Wendy Francis described the partnership that was established with the New Zealand Office for Seniors and the role HANZA played in supporting the pilot.
Age Concern Auckland were the winning applicant for the pilot. Homeshare Coordinator Amanda
Payne shared their experiences and outcomes to date.
View the presentation (ZOOM video).
HANZA and NZ Govt In Conversation PowerPoint slides
Heather Thompson is currently engaged as a speaker on the topics of age-friendly communities, aging well, and elder abuse. She serves as the Chair of the Halton (Ontario) Elder Abuse Prevention Network and is an active member of the National Intergenerational Advisory Committee in Canada.
Heather Thompson
Heather is strong advocate for age-friendly, inclusive communities where all people can fully participate without barriers. She contributes to research (see National Institute on Aging documents) and has presented on the topics of Aging, and Age-friendly initiatives at local, provincial, national and international conferences and events.
Heather completed graduate studies at Queen’s University, with a Master of Science degree in Aging and Health. Her work and volunteer experience have encompassed leadership roles in the non-profit sector in Quebec and Ontario, including youth justice, disabilities, mental health, community support services for older adults, palliative and hospice care. More recently, she served for over 10 years as the Director of Age-Friendly Initiatives with Community Development Halton, a nonprofit organization serving Halton region. She actively steered the activities and projects of the Burlington Age-Friendly Council within the World Health Organization’s framework of an Age-Friendly practice, and served as the Chair of the Halton Age-Friendly Network, Co-Chair of the Southern Ontario Age-Friendly Network and Co-chair of the Older Adult Isolation Action Table with Halton Region. For over four years, Heather served as a Board Director with the Ontario Association of Councils on Aging.
Heather presented on Through an Age-Friendly Perspective – Understanding the Importance of Social Connections and their Impact on Health and Well-being of Older Adults.
Some key learnings:
- Risk factors of isolation and loneliness
- Understand how Age-Friendly communities and inter-generational programs contribute to the participation, health, independence and security of older adults
- The importance of social connections and their impact on the health and well-being of older adults
- Best practices in the prevention and reduction of isolation and loneliness
- How Homeshare can protect against isolation and loneliness
Review the slides:
View the presentation
For more information, read:
- Opinion | Loneliness Is an Epidemic in America, Writes the Surgeon General – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Social prescribing (nih.gov)
Watch
Age doesn’t define you – Global Campaign to Combat Ageism – #AWorld4AllAges – YouTube (1:44 min)
The Loneliness Epidemic | Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Social Isolation – YouTube (9:45 min)
“Economic savings for the Irish Government through Homesharing; A study by Executive MBA students from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Business in Ireland.” The purpose of the MBA Social Enterprise project is to provide a learning experience for MBA students in Social Entrepreneurship through conducting consultancy projects for social enterprises. THE HomeShare has teamed with Trinity College School of Business since 2020 on various challenges. In 2023, THE HomeShare challenged the group to research the economic savings through homeshare for the Irish Government, with particular focus on hospital admissions, Long Term Care admissions and Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) for younger people. Read the report. The students built a Data Dashboard to work out the health/medical savings for each local area – view the video. They also found that one social impact of THE Homeshare is integration, combating racism and segregation, combating anti-immigration sentiment, strengthening civil society…. Trinity College Dublin MBA Presentation recording of HI in Conversation: Cost savings to the Irish government through HomeShare (Zoom) watch edited presentation (Chrome)
The HI Network in Conversation was led by Sibel Whitehead and Zaira De Novellis of Supportmatch Homeshare with case studies, discussion and opportunity for questions. This session is restricted to registered HI Network Members.