2025 National Lived Experience Leadership Conference: Uniting Lived Experience Leaders to Organize, Empower, and Advocate for Change
CINCINNATI, OH / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 14, 2025 / Cincinnati, OH — The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) proudly announces the 2025 National Lived Experience Leadership Conference, taking place November 17–19, 2025, offered both virtually and in person in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This powerful national gathering is guided by three core pillars: organize, empower, and advocate. These principles shape how we lead, how we build, and how we create lasting change together.
“The people closest to the problem must be closest to the solution,” said Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “This conference gives power back to those whose voices have too often been excluded from national conversations about housing and justice.”
At a time when policies are punishing poverty instead of solving it, the conference will serve as a national call to action, uniting those most directly impacted to develop strategies that restore dignity, expand resources, and ensure housing remains a human right.
Centering Lived Experience in the Fight for Justice
Participants will engage in dynamic workshops, collaborative strategy sessions, and panels highlighting innovative community-led solutions. The conference emphasizes that those who have lived through homelessness are not only experts in survival, they are architects of change.
Addressing the Growing Crisis
Across the United States, cities are increasingly responding to homelessness with criminalization, passing laws that ban sleeping in public spaces and punishing people for simply trying to survive. Meanwhile, critical federal funding for housing and services continues to decline. The National Lived Experience Leadership Conference aims to confront these intersecting crises head-on by equipping grassroots leaders with the tools, networks, and policy knowledge needed to push for real, systemic change.
A Movement, Not Just a Meeting
More than a conference, this is the next chapter in a growing movement for equity and justice. The event will amplify the leadership of people who have experienced homelessness, building a national network committed to reversing harmful policies and creating solutions grounded in compassion and evidence.
Event Details:
Dates: November 17–19, 2025
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Hosted by: National Coalition for the Homeless
Learn more: www.nationalhomeless.org
About Us
NCH is a network of individuals and organizations united by a commitment to end homelessness. The organization has helped draft federal, state, and local legislation, like the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. NCH has long advocated for addressing the root causes of homelessness, including the lack of affordable housing, through policy advocacy (supporting efforts like the Bringing America Home Act), grassroots organizing (building a national movement led by unsheltered individuals), and public education (dispelling negative stereotypes and preserving civil rights of people experiencing homelessness).
Contacts