Welcome to this online edition of Together Magazine.
This Together Magazine is so special, firstly because we’re marking the milestone of ten issues.
But most importantly, this has been put together for you by our guest editors, Andrew and Pete*, who have both built a life beyond homelessness as Crisis members. They’ve brought fantastic ideas to the table, written some wonderful articles for you to read and guided the magazine from beginning to end.
If you have a few minutes please complete the survey; we’d love to hear what you think of the magazine.
- Alicia and the Together team
*Pete’s name has been changed to protect his identity
By Andrew, Expert by Experience and former Crisis member
Crisis involves people with lived experience of homelessness in our work through many forms, for example by becoming an Expert by Experience or by participating in focus groups and surveys where their voices can be heard.
Co-production is where professionals work in partnership with people who have lived experience. It’s the process of moving from an environment where the user has things ‘done to them’ to where there is an equal partnership.
Getting the balance isn’t easy, but by understanding the problem of power imbalance a positive change can occur and result in the improvement of services.
"EBE stands for ‘Expert by Experience’ and all of us are people with lived experience of homelessness. In my case that is rough sleeping. Crisis does not just help and advocate for people who are experiencing homelessness, they bring in people who have personal experience. This is because:
- There is worth and potential in every person who experiences homelessness
- We have a voice
- We can help inform and even change thinking because of our experience
After all, in providing any service, it is a good idea to ask the people the service is for."
- Andrew
In 2021 Pete was threatened by the prospect of street homelessness following a difficult time in hospital which led to a desperate financial and emotional situation. That’s when Pete went to Crisis and met Shelley.
“It felt like this was the first time in months that something had gone well. I remember saying “it feels like the good people have arrived”.
Shelley guided Pete to register as homeless with the council, and within six months he had his own social housing flat for the first time in his adulthood.
“I went on to work with the Crisis Volunteer and Member Involvement team to host events and organise sessions”
This is a real member’s experience, but a model has been used for images and their name has been changed to protect his privacy.
When Joan shared her passion for bridalwear with her Crisis coach Ed, she took the first step to a new career. With Ed’s encouragement, she applied for a Crisis Changing Lives grant, which helped her establish her dream of opening a bridal shop.
“I am passionate about bridalwear. I said to myself if I ever had the money or the time, I would set up a bridal shop. Fast forward 20 something years, here we are”.
The Changing Lives grant program supports around 70 Crisis members each year with grants ranging from £250 to £5,000.
Your donations enable people who have experienced homelessness to pursue qualifications, start training, and purchase the tools and equipment needed to achieve their ambitions.
Find out more about Changing Lives.
We’re delighted to revisit Maame Esi who featured in our first Together magazine five years ago!
Maame Esi first heard about Crisis in 2013 when she was living in a hostel after her home was destroyed by a fire. She became a Crisis member and received the support she needed and was encouraged to enrol in the Café from Crisis programme which is where she rediscovered her love for cooking.
Maame Esi is now a food entrepreneur and the owner of ‘by Maame’ which is a food catering business.
“For me, food allows you to share and celebrate culture, socialise and laugh; it’s therapeutic. Crisis helped to rebuild my confidence in the kitchen. There is joy in picking up different ingredients and marrying them.”
Over the last five years, our bi-annual Together magazine has documented some of the incredible work you make possible through your generous support.
Supporters like you have helped us to achieve phenomenal success in many of our big campaigns – from making Landlords accountable, to unfreezing the Housing benefit to prevent people from losing their homes.
Thank you for your amazing support.
Support for our Life in Limbo campaign brought about a change in legislation in Scotland, which meant no one in Scotland should have to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation such as B&Bs, for more than seven days.
People like you successfully campaigned for the UK Government to amend the Domestic Abuse Bill so that anyone made homeless in England due to domestic abuse would have a legal right to housing.
After decades of campaigning, we were successful in repealing the Vagrancy Act. This act made it a crime to sleep rough in England and Wales since 1824.
The supported Housing Act was signed into law, helping to improve the lives of people in unregulated exempt accommodation – a type of shred housing for people with support needs. The act will stop rogue landlords profiting while learning people to live in unsafe dangerous shared housing with little to no support.
Thank you so much for reading this issue of Together, we are so grateful for the support you give to Crisis.
If you have a few minutes please complete our feedback survey we’d love to hear what you think of the magazine.
Thank you so much for the support you give to Crisis. If you would like to continue to help people leave homelessness behind for good, please consider making a regular donation.
a month could help could pay for personal hygiene items to support someone’s dignity and self-worth.
a month could help provide someone with information and advice to support their journey out of homelessness.
a month could help fund one of our support workers to help someone budget and manage their expenses as they settle into their new home.
a month could help provide someone with one-to-one support in finding a secure place to live, so they leave homelessness for good.
Or
could provide a warm welcome to a Crisis service and help someone take their first steps out of homelessness.
could support someone to access volunteering opportunities, helping them to connect with their community and gain valuable work experience.
could provide someone with the basic essentials they need to settle into a home, such as a kettle, pans and microwave.
Or
Pete: Lindsey Fowke
Maame Esi: George Olney