Kate Colvin
Chief Executive Officer
Homelessness Australia
Kate Colvin is the CEO of Homelessness Australia, the national peak body for homelessness. Kate has been an advocate for more than 20 years, campaigning for positive change in homelessness and housing, for young people, and people on low incomes.
Kate joined Homelessness Australia in 2022, following her roles as the spokesperson for the national housing and homelessness campaign, Everybody’s Home and Deputy CEO at the Victorian peak body for homelessness, Council to Homeless Persons.
SESSIONS
Day 1
8:50
Housekeeping and Chairperson Introduction
Kate Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, Homelessness Australia
Day 1
12:05
Panel: Learning from great advocacy
Session Moderator: Kate Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, Homelessness Australia
Home Stretch Campaign
Paul McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Anglicare Victoria
Home Time Campaign
Shorna Moore, Head of Policy, Advocacy and Government Relations, Melbourne City Mission
Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum
Darren Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Housing Victoria
Everybody’s Home Campaign
Sofie Wainwright, Senior Consultant, Horton Advisory
Day 1
4:15
Meeting the Needs of People Without Homes in Natural Disasters
Session Moderator: Andrew Coghlan, Head of Humanitarian Diplomacy, Emergencies, Australian Red Cross
Kathryn Cunneen, Regional Director, Southwest Region, Housing and Homelessness Services, Department of Housing and Public Works
David Sanderson, Professor, inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture, University of NSW (VIRTUAL)
Martelle Geurts, General Manager, Housing, Homelessness and Employment, Social Futures
Kate Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, Homelessness Australia
Day 2
8:50
Housekeeping and Chairperson Introduction
Kate Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, Homelessness Australia
Day 2
11:20
Panel: Supportive housing: Joining up policy to address persistent homelessness
People experiencing persistent homelessness often have complex needs that intersect with disability, mental health, family violence, child and youth services, and aged care. With major reforms underway in aged care and disability — and growing government interest in supportive housing — this panel explores how the homelessness sector can leverage these shifts to deliver housing and support that lasts.
How can we tap into funding and policy beyond the homelessness portfolio to meet people’s full support needs? And how do we mitigate the risks of reform to ensure no one falls through the cracks?
Moderator: Gemma Pinnell, Principal, Right Lane Consulting
Danielle McAllister, Deputy Director-General, Policy, Performance and First Nations, Department of Housing and Public Works
Karen Walsh, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Community Housing Industry Association
Jane Barnes, Chief of Staff, Wintringham
Sue Pope, Chief Executive Officer, Common Ground Australia
Kate Colvin, Chief Executive Officer, Homelessness Australia