Adequate and Affordable Housing Takes Shape - Redefining the Global Housing Continuum

This session introduces Habitat for Humanity’s new research on the global housing continuum, offering a practical framework for understanding the full range of affordable housing options— ranging from homelessness to transitional, incremental, social to market enabled housing. Through a focused presentation and insights from leaders across government, civil society, and development agencies, the event demonstrates how continuum-based thinking can strengthen policy design, guide smarter investment, and improve housing outcomes at scale. Participants will gain a clearer picture of how housing systems actually function and leave with concrete ideas for applying this approach in their own urban and national contexts. By presenting the continuum as a practical tool—not just a conceptual model—the event will demonstrate how governments, civil society, private sector actors, and development partners can use continuum-based thinking to: o Design more effective housing and urban policies o Target financing and subsidies more efficiently o Expand access to adequate, affordable housing The session will also highlight how the continuum can serve as a shared language across sectors, enabling more coordinated, evidence-based decision-making. The networking event will include a presentation on the newly launched report, including the details of the housing continuum, how it can be leveraged for local or national level analysis of housing systems, and a review of populations in need of various housing types. A panel of respondents from civil society, academia, cities, and national government will respond to the conceptual framework and discuss potential applications for research, policy making, and advocacy.