The Arts & Heritage group has met once to gain an initial understanding of what we may be able to achieve and where the opportunities lie for arts and homelessness organisations to work together in the city to combat homeless and its underlying causes for individuals.

Our first workshop is planned for the 9th August at the People’s History Museum, here we will run a banner making workshop to ascertain our  co-produced outcomes for the group and what action we need to take to achieve these. These banners will then be present at every action group meeting to keep the outcomes and action ever present for all of us.

In the initial first gathering we brought together a wide-ranging collective of arts and cultural institutions in the city, independent artists, creative industries, charities working within the arts and people with lived experience of homelessness who have utilised the arts in self-expression, improving their mental well-being and capturing and
telling their story.

The initial gathering of the group outlined the areas we anticipate  working on together. This included ideas around opening up arts  institutions across the city to people with experience of homelessness,  whether through tours, co-curating programmes, or the exhibition and  performance of work, creating a Greater Manchester wide network of
organisations and events working in collaboration with homelessness  organisations and people with lived experience and potential areas for  joint project work and funding opportunities. These outcomes will be formed substantially and taken forward from 9th August.

We are inviting anyone interested in how the arts and creativity can be utilised to work with people affected by homelessness, has experience or a position within an organisation or institution which you believe may be beneficial in this regard, to get in touch. You can join any of our workshops and meetings or meet with our co-chairs for a coffee to find out more.

Cllr Beth Knowles

(Arts & Heritage group co-chair, Labour & Co-operative Councillor, Director at Symmetry Creative)