Tag Archives: Homeless

Communities: Coventry’s Hidden Voices

Matthew’s story is but one of the films the Hidden Voices have put together to raise awareness of the social problems in their area.

Following the posting of this video many have expressed their concerns not only the community’s website, but also on Twitter, facebook and YouTube.

The video was made by 26-year-old, Brad Powell, from Kenilworth who told the Coventry Telegraph:

“Before I did Matthew’s story I never really understood why homeless people were there. This is what drove me to look at homelessness for the first project.”

Currently Coventry’s Hidden Voices are on the look for other stories they can bring attention to. their latest post reads:

Our towns and cities are rich in diversity and accommodate people with different ideals, religious beliefs, social beliefs and view points. We all move forward but our understanding may be limited and misunderstanding can be rife.

To help them find such stories email: share@thehiddenvoices.org.

 

No rough sleeping by 2012? The reality of homelessness (video)


Less than 300 days left till the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The clock is ticking, but not only for the international sport event. Rough sleeping should also have its days counted – in theory.

In November 2008 the British government launched a £200m strategy to end homelssness in London by 2012, including a more “compassionate” approach towards rough sleepers. Three years on, how close are we to achieving that goal, and is there enough compassion in the way the homeless are being treated?

Kristina Khoo, a journalist with an MA in International Journalism from Brunel University, has produced an investigative documentary (video below) looking into the government’s pledge to eliminate homelessness and the scepticism surrounding it.

Her investigation gives voice to grassroots charities and rough sleepers, who are not normally included into the government’s strategy. The documentary follows the journey of Mohammad, who has been rough sleeping on London buses for the past 10 years, and reveals some of the crude tactics employed to get the homeless off the streets.

According to the latest figures from the Rough Sleeping Statistics England:

  • In autumn 2010, rough sleeping counts and estimates in England was 1,768.
  • London, the South East and the South West had the highest number of rough sleepers with 415, 310 and 270 respectively. The North East had the lowest number with 49.

If you are interested in launching an investigation about housing and homelessness issues too, or if you already have done some work on these topics, do get in touch. We are recruiting collaborators.