Planning Committee

PROFESSOR AND RESEARCHER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDAGOGY

UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA

Fran Calvo holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a bachelor's degree in Social Education, a bachelor's degree in Educational Psychology, a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a master's degree in Community Social Intervention, and a master's degree in Health Psychology. He has over fifteen years of experience as a practitioner in a public outpatient center for substance abuse, where he developed a program to assist homeless individuals.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CISCAL

Sociologist and Master in Government and Society from the Alberto Hurtado University and PhD in Social Work and Welfare Policies from Boston College and the Alberto Hurtado University. He is co-founder of Corporación Moviliza, an organization dedicated to developing programs to overcome homelessness in Chile, and co-founder and Director of the Center for Research and Advocacy to Overcome Homelessness in Latin America, CISCAL (www.ciscal.org). Ignacio is also Director of Research and Advocacy of the Jesuit Migrant Service in Chile.

HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

UNIVERSIDAD ALBERTO HURTADO

Daniel Castillo is part of the International Office team at Universidad Alberto Hurtado. He is responsible for international agreements, special programs development, international projects support, strategy development and administration and finance within the office. Daniel has been working in internationalization in higher education institutions for several years now, both in public and private universities. He received his BA in Political Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and his MA in International Cooperation and Development from Universidad de Chile.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND RESEARCH SPECIALIST

NATIONAL RIGHT TO HOUSING NETWORK

Alex is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at Western University, whose research explores gender, homelessness, and lived experience leadership in creating housing policy. Alex’s academic research and community organizing is deeply informed by their lived experience of homelessness and involvement in the child welfare system, as well as their experiences at the intersection of queerness and disability.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR IN THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY AND THE ARTHUR LABATT FAMILY CHAIR IN NURSING LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH EQUITY

Having worked as a nurse with people experiencing homelessness in London, Dr. Oudshoorn’s research focuses on health equity, housing, and homelessness. Dr. Oudshoorn is an Associate Scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute and Managing Editor of the International Journal on Homelessness.

PhD RESEARCHER

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, WALES, UK

Nia’s areas of interest broadly lie within housing insecurity, homelessness, youth studies and inequality. Her PhD examines the dominant responses to tackling youth homelessness – mediation, aiming to offer a rare critique of this intervention mechanism. Nia has undertaken research at a global level, including exploring the housing pathways of young people, Peru; informal trade and child labour, Tanzania. As Research Consultant for The Wallich and Policy and Research Manager for Llamau, Nia has undertaken research that has impacted service provision for homeless young people in Wales. Nia appreciates the contributions of service users and peer researchers and aims to ensure their voices are heard through participatory research. Nia is an active member of the Housing Studies Association, UK; Royal Geographical Society with IBG, UK; and works closely with End Youth Homelessness Cymru, Wales; and the Youth Experiential Learning Simulation Wales, in collaboration with BakerMcKenzie, USA.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RUFF INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL HOMELESSNESS

Lydia has worked at the intersections of housing, employment, higher education, gender equity, and policy advocacy for nearly 20 years. Lydia Stazen is the Executive Director at the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness where she works with countries and communities to implement evidence-based practices to prevent, reduce, and end homelessness. She currently has the honor of serving as Chair of the United Nations NGO Working Group to End Homelessness. Lydia holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CORPORACION NUESTRA CASA

Social Worker, Diploma in Housing Policy from the University of Chile. Current Executive Director of the Corporación Nuestra Casa in Santiago de Chile, which works so that no one has to live on the street due to lack of alternatives. She is co-founder of the Center for Research and Advocacy to Overcome Homelessness in Latin America, CISCAL (www.ciscal.org). Member of the Zero Deficit Advisory Council, and of the Street, Habitat and Reinsertion roundtables in Santiago de Chile. She was also part of the leadership training program of the Institute of Global Homelessness.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MOVILIZA

As the Executive Director at Moviliza, Filipe leads a dynamic and collaborative team that executes and evaluates programs that address various social issues, such as homelessness, child protection, and civic participation. He also oversees the procurement and management of resources, advocates for social policies, and coordinates networks of collaboration between civil society and the public sector.

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Mollie is a senior studying Hospitality with an Events concentration in the Driehaus College of Business. She is currently working as a conference planning intern for the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness. Mollie has five years of experience working in the hospitality industry and she believes in the power of events to connect people. Her career goal is to work as a meeting planner for a large association.

POST-DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

Dr. Sarah May Lindsay (she/her) is a Critical Sociologist, whose work and passions involve human and companion animal shelters and care systems, homelessness, speciesism, intersectional social inequities, “disability” (particularly “mental health”), and veganism. Her current research includes a CMHC-SSHRC (Housing Research Training Award)-sponsored survey and set of interviews with homeless "pet" care providers in Ontario, Canada, asking about their work, who they help, and if/how they interface with multispecies families experiencing homelessness in their communities. 

Dr. Lindsay is currently a Post-Doctoral Associate at Western University in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, and Sessional Faculty in the Department of Sociology and Criminology Program at Trent University. Her service work includes co-founding and co-chairing the CSA’s Animals in Society Research Cluster, serving on the ASA’s Animals and Society Section Council, and leading the fledgling International Community Cats Research Group.