Give Us Your Session Ideas for 2026!
Please share your session ideas with us using the Session Request for Proposal Form.
Don’t hesitate or wait too long.
Deadline for Submissions:
January 31, 2026
The conference planning team will review each proposal in January 2026, and select sessions that will fulfill the conference mission and goals. Notification of accepted proposals will be completed by end of April 2026.
The Steering Committee is most interested in and will prioritize the following:
HOMEOWNERSHIP:
Topics applicable to lending and advocating in the single-family affordable housing finance space.
ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS
Effective advocacy strategies and tactics to advance affordable housing priorities with decision-makers, Best practices for community engagement — two-way dialogues with community members (as distinct from outreach), Practical communications strategies and tactics (related to the needs of housing professionals), Sharing housing data, research and analysis that can inform the direction of advocacy and communication. Advocacy and/or communications specifically related to racial justice
GENERAL:
Thoughtful and unique topics that may not fit in a specific track but will appeal to more than one audience.
MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT:
Innovative financing alternatives and best practices with broad perspectives on panel.
MULTIFAMILY MANAGEMENT:
Topics that focus on owners, developers, portfolio and asset managers, as well as property management and resident services.
Examples:
Emerging Issues in Multifamily Management:
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Practical Solutions for Today’s Challenges, a session that focuses on identifying current trends and problems in multifamily property management but also have some strategies to address them.
Turning Around Low-Performing Properties:
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Collaborative Strategies for Managers, Asset Managers, and Owners discuss practical methods for improving property performance and fostering alignment among stakeholders for sustainable success.
Building Resident-Centered Multifamily Communities:
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Outcomes and Best Practices. A show case of the benefits of resident-focused approaches and share examples of successful programs that enhance community well-being. What does resident centered approach looks like starting from the development stage of a multifamily residential community
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Best Practices for Property Management in Affordable Housing that highlights effective operational approaches, compliance strategies, and resident engagement techniques tailored for affordable housing communities.
Understanding Renters’ Challenges in Affordable Housing:
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How Providers can identify and respond to emergent difficulties renters face and that outline actionable steps housing providers can take to support stability and satisfaction.
Resident engagement techniques:
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To improve housing stability and satisfaction which intern help improve property financial and physical performance.
ENDING HOMELESSNESS:
Topics that focus on direct services, racial equity and culturally-specific strategies, navigating policy and systems change, organizational capacity and workforce sustainability, and innovations, community partnerships and local solutions.
Examples:
Direct-Service:
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Sessions should offer frameworks, tools, or strategies providers can put into practice. Example topics: low-barrier services; trauma-informed care; de-escalation; working with people with disabilities; harm reduction; youth and young adult engagement; tenants’ rights and eviction prevention.
Racial Equity and Culturally-Specific Strategies:
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Including sessions that move beyond theory to operationalizing equity. Example topics: culturally-specific service models (i.e. for immigrants and refugees, seniors, Native women, queer and trans youth); using equity frameworks to shift policies and assessments; integrating language justice into service delivery; improving equity outcomes at the institutional level.
Navigating Policy and Systems Change:
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Especially sessions that offer clarity and actionable guidance. Example topics: navigating new federal funding conditions; updates to PSH, HEN, Apple Health & Homes, Foundational Community Supports, landlord mitigation program, etc; cross-system partnerships.
Organizational Capacity & Workforce Sustainability:
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Example topics: developing and retaining staff; preventing burnout; practical management skills; balancing risk management with flexible, person-centered practice.
Innovations, Community Partnerships & Local Solutions:
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Example topics: cross-system partnerships that have improved outcomes; creative strategies for rural providers; case studies with clear lessons learned; models that lead with lived experience; other scalable, innovative models.
Strong proposals for the Homelessness track will:
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Offer opportunities to develop new skills, replicate a successful program model, and/or adapt to new policies or system changes,
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Present service delivery and housing models that are recognized as evidence-based practices,
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Incorporate multiple perspectives when appropriate (i.e. rural + urban; person with lived experience + provider),
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Include people from communities most impacted by homelessness in meaningful roles (including BIPOC, people with disabilities, queer and trans people, and others), as well as people who have lived experience with the session topic,
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Address current or emerging issues,
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Be designed to be interactive and engaging.
Lived experience gaps?
Consider partnering with others that can help make a well-rounded, whole representation of both knowledge and personal experience.