For Sam, Jose, Inês, Linda, Teresa, Diana, Neil, Judith, Sheryl, Anita, Dorieke, Fedde, Ray, Wessel, Hilary, Frank, Jorunn, Christy, John, Susanna, Daniel, Pam, Carl, Elisabeth, Christine and everybody from Pathways to Housing, world wide, that I forgot to mention. There are so many!

Housing First Stories, Articles and Journals

I was going through my numerous hard discs and I bumped into a lot of material that I wrote since I came to know Pathways to Housing. I have worked in New York and wrote daily journals on my experiences. I travelled to New York, Washington, Stord, Lisboa, Sydney, Austin, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Glasgow, Burlington and wrote columns every time I visited their programs.

I came to know Housing First in the year 2001. It changed my life and turned it upside down.  I worked for and with them. I became a believer and shared every story about Housing First, it’s dynamics and it’s people ever since. It kept me awake for months. It was the best thing that happened to me. It rocked my world. And it still does. It is an important part of my life. I share that passion with a lot of people in the world and our Low Lands.

And with my American friends. I owe you and Sam my deep, heartfelt and eternal gratitude.

This piece is specially for you. On the threshold of 2014 and a new, promising 2015, I wish you all the best for the coming year. Because Housing First is about making mistakes and learning from them. Even journalists make ‘m.

Having a nightmare does not mean you stopped dreaming.