• Vesna Štefanec, programme coordinator at Ljubljana Pride Association, Slovenia Coco Wheeler, international project’s manager at True Colors United, United states of America
• Sergio Perez, Policy Officer at FEANTSA, Belgium
• Aisling Reidy, Advocacy Officer, ILGA Europe, Belgium
• Sari Rantaniemi, executive director and Kaisla Henttinen, Educated Expert by Experience, Sateenkaari-ikkuna ry – a Finnish LGBTQ+ movement against homelessness, Finland

At the international conference, we will delve into the consequences of LGBTIQ+ youth homelessness invisibility. With experts from Slovenia and abroad, we will examine how these challenges impact youth and housing policies, as well as the accessibility and adequacy of public services, particularly for those facing homelessness. It is common for young LGBTIQ+ individuals to go back into the closet when accessing public services for the homeless or socially disadvantaged, aiming for easier service access. Similar practices are observed among young LGBTIQ+ individuals in institutional care. We will discuss advocacy practices, methods and tools for accessing public services and ensuring safe institutional living for LGBTIQ+ youth with our guest experts to understand the phenomenon from different perspectives.
In the second part of the conference, we will explore the importance of alliances in ensuring the safety of young LGBTIQ+ individuals experiencing housing instability and homelessness. We will discuss opportunities for collaboration between NGOs working in the LGBTIQ+ community and those addressing housing and social difficulties. The conference will also include a presentation of collaboration protocols developed within the framework of the Alliances For Safe Rainbow Housing project in partnership with ILGA Europe.

Sign-up required for organisational purposes. The link to the application form is available on the festival’s website and Ljubljana Pride’s social media.