CHRA National Housing Day
November 24, 2025 | 11:00am-12:00pm (ET)
Summary
Join the conversation this National Housing Day!
CHRA brings together international housing leaders from Finland, Austria, and the UK to share global solutions to today’s housing challenges.
Featuring Paul Tennant, Justin Cartwright, Juha Kahila, and Veronika Iwanowski.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, exchange ideas, and engage in a meaningful, collaborative discussion that connects Canadian housing realities with global best practices.
Don’t miss this chance to learn, connect, and celebrate housing innovation worldwide.
Speakers
Justin Cartwright
National Director
Director of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Northern Ireland
With over a decade of experience in the housing sector, Justin provides strategic leadership and oversight for CIH’s operations and mission in the region. Justin ensures that CIH remains a leading voice in Northern Ireland’s housing policy and practice, while championing professional development and strengthening membership engagement.
A Chartered Member of CIH, Justin has authored research on the private rented sector, including studies on rent control. He is also a Member of the Institute of Leadership and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) from RMIT University in Melbourne, where he conducted research on acoustics in the built environment. Beyond his professional role, Justin serves as a trustee of Supporting Communities and the North of Ireland Family History Society.
Juha Kahila
Head of International Affairs
Y-Foundation
Juha Kahila is the Head of International Affairs at the Y-Foundation, Finland’s largest NGO providing housing for people experiencing homelessness and affordable homes for low-income households — with a housing stock of more than 19,000 apartments across the country.
A passionate advocate for housing as a human right, Juha leads international collaboration through his roles as Coordinator of the Nordic Homelessness Alliance and facilitator within the Housing First Europe Hub, connecting practitioners, policymakers, and researchers across Europe to advance Housing First and prevention-based solutions.
Before taking on international work, Juha led Finland’s National Housing First Development Network, bringing together all major actors in homelessness policy and practice. His career has spanned every level of the field — from front-line support work to service management and CEO roles in Housing First organizations — giving him a rare, comprehensive view of what it takes to end homelessness in practice.
He holds a Master’s degree in social services and continues to be driven by a simple belief: no one should be without a home in a society that works
Veronika Iwanowski
International Relations
Wiener Wohnen
Veronika studied Management and Art History in Vienna.
She joined Wiener Wohnen in 2021 to work in the International Relations Department. In this role she is responsible for the holding of appointments with international delegations and presenting the Viennese Model of affordable housing during Europe-wide topic-related congresses and events.
She also represents the City of Vienna in European international networks such EURHONET and Eurocities, where she chairs the Working Group Housing.