National Youth Homelessness Conference - Speakers

Umar is a compassionate individual dedicated to serving his community. Growing up in different communities, having lived in both Bradford and Slough, exposed him to diverse cultures and environments, shaping his understanding and empathy for different communities. 

As a volunteer on a children’s ward, he has become a consistent source of joy and support, using play and creativity to uplift young patients and their families. His dedication to this role reflects his empathy and desire to make a positive impact within the NHS. 
In recognition of his efforts, Umar received the Volunteer of the Month award in April 2025 for Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust and has been praised by parents for his dedication and impact.

Umar also faced multiple life challenges while serving as an unpaid carer for someone, demonstrating remarkable perseverance. Despite these challenges, he continued to strive forward and is now flourishing.

In addition to his volunteer work, Umar is a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB). Drawing from his personal experiences of homelessness with Centrepoint, he is now advocating for systemic change to ensure others receive the support and opportunities he once longed for. Working collaboratively with others who have faced similar challenges, he aims to shape policies and procedures across areas such as financial support, training and employment, benefits, and life skills education.

Guided by faith, perseverance, and a strong sense of community, Umar continues to embody compassion and a desire to make a positive impact.

Samara Jones has worked on homelessness, youth and social justice issues both in Europe and Canada for the past 20 years. She is based in Brussels and leads the Housing First Europe Hub.  

The Housing First Europe Hub is a partnership of organisations, initiated in 2016  by FEANTSA, the Y-Foundation (Finland) and several key partners including Rock Trust, Turning Point Scotland, Crisis, Focus Ireland, Housing First Netherlands, Stadsmissionen Sweden, the City of Lyon, the social affairs ministry of France, and Centrepoint.  

The Housing First Europe Hub now includes over 25 housing providers, governments, cities, researchers and foundations from across Europe and beyond. The Housing First Europe Hub promotes systems change to end and prevent homelessness based on the principles of Housing First, coordinates training on Housing First and Housing First for Youth, and supports its partners to build networks across Europe.

Adam Pemberton Wickham is CEO of akt (formerly the Albert Kennedy Trust), the only national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity supporting young LGBTQ+ people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in a hostile environment.

Prior to joining akt in October 2024, Adam was Director of Strategy at Centrepoint and Barnardo’s and Assistant Chief Executive at Victim Support and previously worked in the centre of government at the Cabinet Office.

akt is founded on the simple but powerful idea that no young person should have to choose between a safe home and being who they are.

“Supporting trans and non binary young people out of homelessness and into secure, thriving homes - while navigating the implications of the Supreme Court ruling”

Alex is the Training Lead at Stonewall Housing – one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ homelessness charities. Stonewall Housing supports LGBTQ+ people of all ages facing and experiencing homelessness or living in an unsafe environment. 

Alex has experience as a trainer and facilitator in LGBTQ+ inclusion, gender-based violence, and youth participation work. In her role at Stonewall Housing, Alex supports organisations to develop their approach to LGBTQ+-inclusive practice, and has worked in partnership with akt and Gendered Intelligence to develop the resource: 'Trans Inclusion Beyond the Supreme Court Ruling - A Facilitated Reflection for Housing and Homelessness Organisations."

Liz Laurence is Director for Strategic Initiatives for Homewards at The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. Homewards launch in 2023 and is a transformational five year programme working with six locations to demonstrate that it’s possible to prevent and end homelessness. She has led on leveraging major commitments from the private sector, from Lloyds £50 million of new financing to expansion of quality employment opportunities.

Before joining the Foundation, Liz worked at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government where she ran some of the department's major housing and regeneration programme and led a social enterprise, backed by research funding to unlock access to the property ladder by improving financial literacy. She also sits on the Board of Evolve Housing and Support.

Vicky Spratt is an award-winning journalist, author, and housing rights advocate. She has been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize three years in a row (2023, 2024, 2025). Her first book, TENANTS, was a Financial Times book of the year in 2022.

Vicky is a correspondent and columnist at The i Paper. She writes about the housing crisis, inequality, society, economics and politics. Her work has seen her nominated for a British Journalism Award. In 2017, her writing about the plight of private renters got letting fees banned (the Tenant Fees Act 2019). She gives evidence in Parliament and her work is often referenced by politicians in both houses.

Vicky’s second book, We Were Promised The Moon, will be published in 2026. It is an agenda-setting analysis of how the economic settlement of the last 30 years has fundamentally reshaped life for young adults today.

You’ll find Vicky regularly on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Newsnight, Radio 4, the Andrew Marr Show on LBC, and the Newsagents. Failing that, you’ll see her speaking at political festivals or interviewing household names such as Michael Gove, Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Rayner.

Vicky’s writing is also in demand from other publications such as ELLE and Refinery29 because of her ability to write about complex socio-political and economic problems engagingly.

Matt joined Centrepoint in June 2023 as Head of Support and Housing for London having previously worked for St Mungo's for 12 years. Matt has always worked in care and support services in homelessness leading a diverse portfolio of services including specialist registered care for people with experience of rough sleeping, street outreach, supported housing and housing first. 

At Centrepoint Matt oversees services across London, which mainly comprise supported housing for young people. This also includes five Housing First for Youth contracts, including one in South London supporting 60 young people and one in Bournemouth supporting 20 across both dispersed properties and blocks. 

Matt is passionate about housing first and is keen to see it embedded across the UK as an approach for young people. He has been working closely with FEANSTA and other European partners on a project seeking to consolidate work around the HF4Y principles, fidelity, design and delivery toolkits and existing and new evaluation.

Bethan currently works in Centrepoint’s Business Development team, leading on retaining and securing new service contracts, ensuring that we design services where young people can flourish and achieve a job and a home.

This role also involves leading internal cross-directorate projects including our Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) working group, bringing together learning from across our six HF4Y services which achieve a 99% tenancy sustainment rate, and building key partnerships with HF4Y experts across Europe.

Bethan has previously managed Centrepoint’s Lambeth HF4Y service, supporting a staff team of 12 Housing First Officers who support 60 young people with multiple and complex needs in one of the biggest HF4Y services in the country.

Kelvin joined the Movement to Work team in October 2025 on secondment from Tesco, where he has worked for over 18 years across a variety of roles in both stores and the office.

His experience spans operational, commercial, and audit functions. Kelvin is also Chair of Tesco’s LGBTQ+ Network, leading a team of dedicated colleagues that work tirelessly for LGBTQ+ inclusion across the UK. He is passionate about supporting people from diverse backgrounds – helping to create a workplace culture where everyone feels like they not only belong, but can thrive, at work.

Outside of work, Kelvin lives in Flitwick with his partner Robert, their two cats April and Peaches, and their dog Willow. He enjoys attending gigs and festivals with friends, taking long dog walks through the countryside, and watching football, rugby, and Formula 1.

Sam Dumitriu is Head of Policy at Britain Remade, a group that campaigns to make it easier to build new homes and infrastructure. 

In his role, he is responsible for Britain Remade's policy output and has authored a number of papers on housing policy, including Getting London Building, which identified a number of planning reforms that could dramatically boost supply in the city with Britain's worst housing shortage. 

His work has been cited widely in the media, including the FT, Economist, Times, Telegraph, ITV and BBC.

Alicia Walker is Assistant Director of Advocacy and Activism at Shelter, where she leads work to influence housing and homelessness policy and to build public and political support for lasting solutions to end the housing emergency.

Previously, Alicia was Head of Policy, Research and Campaigns at Centrepoint, and has held roles at HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, giving her a deep understanding of homelessness policy, housing funding, planning and delivery.

She is also Chair of the Board of Directors at the Routes Collective, a social enterprise supporting refugee women to thrive in the UK.

Simon joined Iceni Projects in 2023 as a Director in the Planning team. With 18 years’ experience across development sectors and geographies, he specialises in securing complex and significant mixed-use planning permissions across London, Kent and the South East, with particular expertise in residential-led mixed-use schemes and hotel development, as well as smaller-scale commercial developments.

He has extensive experience leading private, public and third-sector organisations through challenging planning scenarios, ensuring that both strategic and non-strategic planning decisions deliver sustainable communities and high-quality development. His portfolio includes major regeneration projects, hotel schemes and small-site developments.

Throughout his career, he has remained a trusted advisor to clients, maintaining a hands-on and proactive approach, and is adept at driving projects forward with speed, clarity and precision while meeting commercial objectives of his clients and corporate priorities of local authorities.

James is Managing Director of Safe Haven London, a charity focused on alleviating housing poverty and, in particular, homelessness.

Safe Haven London is in a partnership with Centrepoint aimed at developing the Independent Living Programme in order to tackle youth homelessness.

Having been recruited into the current role as Operations Manager in 2010 where the charity was in a difficult position - the charity has grown and flourished in his tenure. The charity was a small local provider and is now a county wide provision.

Rob’s experience in leadership has developed over a number of years having been a chef who cooked for the now King, to leading logistics and Operations in a number of different arenas.

Rob completed a third sector leadership university course with the ARU as a part of his growth.
In 2016 Rob alongside the board led his team into the purchase and development of a grade 2 listed building which is now CHESS Homeless HQ.

In 2023 the charity began a journey of developing a 24 modular home development. This was given planning permission in September 2024 and met practical completion in March 2025 having been 93% funded.

Laura Rutter has been working 12 years with Centrepoint on the Rent Deposit Scheme, 4 years as Development Worker for the North East and 8 years as manager.

Including expanding the service across the North to include Bradford, Manchester with upcoming expansion in Barnsley and Lambeth. 

Also managing our newer pilot scheme as part of the Rent Deposit Scheme- Bridging the Gap, supporting young people working while living in Centrepoint Supported Accommodation to support higher rent costs and supporting their move on into independent tenancies.

Jean has been Chief Executive of St Basils since 2000 and prior to that has over 20 years’ experience of managing housing and neighbourhood services in a number of Local Authorities in the North East and Midlands.

St Basils is a registered Housing Association and Charity providing a range of accommodation and support for young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk in Birmingham and West Midlands.

Jean is Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Homelessness Taskforce and Chair of West Midlands Homelessness and Health Network and is a member of the Government’s Advisory Panel on Rough Sleeping and Homelessness.

She was Chair of the national Youth Homelessness Parliament from 2013-2022. She is a member of Birmingham’s Strategic Partnership Board and Birmingham Social Housing Partnership Executive.

Simon Green has led YMCA Milton Keynes & Northamptonshire since 2017, driving its mission to help young people find stability and independence to thrive, not just survive.

Since 1981, the charity has supported more than 10,000 young people aged 18–35, offering supported housing, employment support, youth and community programmes, and mental health services.

Born and raised in Milton Keynes, Simon brings deep local insight and a passion for creating meaningful opportunities. Before joining YMCA, he held roles at Aldwyck Housing Group and South Beds District Council, building strong expertise in housing and community development.

Under his leadership, YMCA Milton Keynes opened a modern campus in 2020, now home to over 240 young adults. Simon also champions social enterprise initiatives such as the HomeGround Café – which supports its wider mission by providing training and work experience for residents.

Ben is the AI Lead at Good Innovation, a strategy & innovation consultancy helping charities transform their services and grow their income. He leads the practical implementation of AI across the charity sector, focusing on systematic pilots that build confidence through doing rather than abstract strategy.

Ben led the UK's largest charity AI collaboration with 15 organisations and has spent the past three years transforming Good Innovation into an AI powered consultancy.

With 10+ years of charity experience including roles at British Red Cross and Macmillan Cancer Support, Ben brings deep sector knowledge to AI implementation. His approach treats AI as a people challenge, not a tech challenge - helping teams understand where AI can genuinely help their work, then scaling what actually works.

Robin McGrenary is the Independent Living Development Lead at Centrepoint, responsible for leading the delivery of new independent living homes across London and Manchester. His role includes overseeing the entire development pipeline and helping to secure new sites.

Robin successfully led the delivery of Centrepoint’s Independent Living development, Reuben House in Peckham—a 36-home modular scheme providing high-quality studio homes. With a further ten developments currently in the pipeline, he is directing the build of an additional 250 homes, managing projects from initial concept and planning through to construction and completion.

Alongside his work at Centrepoint, Robin brings extensive experience in delivering complex transformation programmes internationally. He has led the delivery of global manufacturing centres in the USA and Mexico and held senior leadership roles directing teams across multiple housing associations in the UK.

Outside of work, Robin is a keen CrossFitter and runner.

Mark Fox is a specialist in Modern Methods of Construction with more than two decades of experience spanning operational delivery, programme development, and cross sector collaboration. Working within Portakabin—one of the UK’s most established and widely recognised MMC organisations—Mark brings extensive practical and strategic knowledge of modular construction and its application across a range of social, public, and community based needs.

His career has focused on leading multidisciplinary teams, strengthening partnerships with public sector bodies and charities, and helping organisations understand the capabilities, limitations, and opportunities that MMC can offer. Mark has worked closely with local authorities, housing providers, and support organisations to explore how modern construction techniques can complement wider efforts to create safer, more stable accommodation pathways.

He is committed to sharing evidence based insights, promoting high standards of quality and safety, and supporting the sector to make informed decisions that prioritise dignity, resilience, and long term impact for vulnerable people.

Michael Glenn leads on the amplification activities for Centrepoint's Independent Living Programme, sharing the key outputs from current and planned developments and encouraging other partners to find out more about stepping stone homes.

He is passionate about the opportunities this form of accommodation offers for young people as they begin their working lives.

Michael has previously headed up the Skills Development function at the charity, held several frontline and management roles within formal and community education organisations, worked in the careers service and been a Director of a national training business.

Andrew is an award-winning electrician, youth advocate, and speaker whose journey from the care system to professional success inspires young people across the UK. 

Having entered care at the age of 10 after his father suffered a stroke, Andrew faced years of instability before finding his footing through education, resilience, and determination.

After leaving care at 18, Andrew balanced his electrical apprenticeship with housing uncertainty — often moving between hostels and temporary placements while striving to qualify. His perseverance paid off when he completed his electrical qualification in August 2024, proving his commitment to building a better future through hard work and skill.

Andrew’s achievements have been widely recognised. In October 2024, he received Centrepoint’s Independent Living Award, presented by Prince William, for his resilience while at risk of homelessness.

Adam is a driven and accomplished individual with a passion for using his diverse skills to make a positive impact. Having successfully transitioned to independent living, he draws on his personal journey to advocate for others as a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board.

He brings valuable experience in analytics, marketing, and sales, which he has successfully applied to the charity sector, notably through his work with Media Trust.

Beyond his professional and advisory roles, Adam is committed to his health. A passionate gym goer and runner, he recently completed the Brighton marathon, fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

A true team player, Adam is enthusiastic about contributing to the LEAB program and helping to shape Centrepoint’s future.
 

Faye was born in England and she is half German. As a care experienced young adult her experiences with the care system has driven her passion to change and improve the lives and experiences of future young people and young adults that are in the care system.

Currently, she is part of the Centrepoint LEAB, Havering Youth Management Team and she also run a training course called Total Respect Training (TRT). TRT is a program developed and delivered by young people with experience of the care system to teach professionals how to better support children and young people in care.

As someone who has been through the care system she uses her experiences to guide the training so that people have a better understanding of what it’s like from our perspective, using interactive activities. For example, role play games using real life personal experiences. She also takes part in Havering corporate parenting panels where she help advocate for young adults who don’t feel heard.

She describes herself as a very creative person and she is very passionate about giving people the support that she didn’t get, and she is hoping to achieve her goal to help and change their future in the system. Outside of this she enjoys reading, photography, swimming and traveling to various places.  She also enjoys drawing, baking and movie nights.

Lisa has worked for Centrepoint for over 20 years. Based in Birmingham, the Partnerships team works with like-minded organisations, across the country. Lisa managers the work Centrepoint does with external partners.

She started as a youth worker and spent many years involved in Nightstop, (manager, Director of NNN, Board of trustees and Independent Monitor Nightstop UK).

She enjoys pulling people together, finding the right organisation that can help to answer a query that someone else might be having.
Lisa lives in the Midlands with her family, a nutty Vizsla and three cheeky chucks!
 

Mandy joined Centrepoint in 2014 and oversees the Centrepoint Partnering scheme. She really enjoys bringing organisations together and creating spaces for organisations to share their experiences and learning.  Mandy is the first port of call for any Partnering queries.

Prior to this, Mandy worked for Catch22 for 9 years co-ordinating the Home Office funded Positive Futures programme, delivering engagement programmes for young people. 

She is a Committee Member at her local primary school and provides admin support to her local grassroots football club. 
Mandy lives in Birmingham and will be found every weekend with muddy shoes after watching her kids play football or changing her Fantasy Football team last minute.

Francesca based in London she is working as Partnerships and Grant Giving Officer. Fransy is keen to help you with all the queries about the Partnering scheme and The More than a Roof Grant.

She is the editor of the monthly newsletter Partner Post and the AQA co-ordinator for the independent living programme Lifewise.

After working in different sectors in the past she has been excited to join Centrepoint and being part of a change for a better future.
When not in the office you might find her around the globe trying to get a new stamp on her passport.