Homelessness

World Suicide Prevention Day – 10th September

It’s World Suicide Prevention Day! đź’š Did you know that homeless people are 6x more likely to take their own life than the rest of the general population? đź’” The Homeless Hub write, “There is no single-handed solution to reduce the rates of suicide and depression among those experiencing homelessness. Yet, it is essential to […]

A Bed Every Night Over Winter? Shaping the Answers.

Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network Report 2 The question posed by Andy Burnham at last week’s meeting of the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network was simple: Can we aim to give people sleeping rough a bed overnight, every night from October 2018 to March 2019? The answers will need cooperation, coordination and co-production. Here’s a brief summary […]

The Big Question

Greater Manchester Homeless Action Network 25/07/18 (Report Part One) Can we aim to give people sleeping rough a bed overnight, every night from October 2018 to March 2019? This question posed by Andy Burnham last Wednesday, kicked off an encouraging morning at the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network event at Salford University. Last winter when […]

What have the arts got to do with homelessness?

The International Arts and Homelessness Summit/Festival 12th – 18th November 2018 This is the first event of its kind bringing together arts projects, people and artists with personal insight into  homelessness, practitioners, policy-makers, organisations, charities and academics. Greater Manchester has been chosen because of the exceptional arts/homelessness projects in the region, the way arts is becoming […]

Life without a label

The language we use can have an impact on the stigma and exclusion that people feel and this can negatively affect people’s lives. This raises even deeper questions. Are we all to be defined and labelled by our past or events in our past? With these questions in mind, a discussion took place recently at […]

Big Change Update 2018

Since May 2016 Big Change has been providing practical support to  people who are currently homeless and people who have recently been homeless by paying for items that are most needed. From a pair of new boots or a deposit for a home, to new clothing and travel costs for job interviews and training courses. […]

A Big Thank You 07/06/2018

With the ever increasing rise in homelessness in Manchester and the nation as a whole, it may seem contradictory to celebrate. However, the achievements of Big Change and The Mayors Homelessness Fund deserve to be celebrated, if only modestly. The Big Change pays for practical items that individuals need to build independent lives off the […]

How Businesses Can Step Up

Homelessness, in all its forms, is increasing across the UK, with the situation now at crisis point. Manchester needs a unique solution from all sectors (voluntary, statutory, and business) putting the voices and knowledge of people with experience of homelessness at the forefront. Manchester is fast becoming becoming a model for other cities around the […]

Organised Kindness

“This piece was inspired by a trip to Manchester with the ever growing Homeless population. The way the general public engaged with, respected and accepted homeless people as part of Manchester and how Manchester had adapted and embraced ALL its population regardless of whether they lived on the streets or had a roof to sleep […]

Communication is Needed

Phone Charge Points in Greater Manchester. We’re trying to compile a comprehensive and accessible list of places, (organisations, businesses, shops, faith groups, charities) where people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness can charge their phones. As you know, it’s vital for people to keep in touch at this vulnerable time, (support workers, charities, […]

Resolve Together – The Unseen Builders

As part of the Street Support Network‘s ongoing push to improve their website, a crack team of developers, digital marketers and design experts have joined the cause. The monthly Resolve meetings, held at Code Computer Love, sees some of the best tech brains in the city get together for pizza, drinks and hardcore coding. They come […]

Male Sex Work Uncovered – The Pain Behind The Game

CONTENT WARNING: This article contains details that some may find distressing. When we think of the stereotypical “sex worker”, we are more than likely to think of the eastern European woman who has been trafficked into a western European country and is working in a brothel – ran by a miasma of gangsters scattered around […]