The South West of England Branch presents: The Gathering: Homeless, not Hopeless
- Poverty
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The British Psychological Society invites you to their annual Gathering - this year exploring the complexities of homelessness hoping to inspire change and challenge preconceptions.
We are hosting a range of presentations and discussions, including representatives from services and charities, and people who have experienced homelessness themselves.
At the end of the event, you will have a better understanding of how you can be an agent for change within this field. We hope the event will provide an opportunity to share ideas and work together in informing the best way we can help the homeless community.
The event will be hosted at St Werburgh's Community Centre in Bristol. The venue is accessible by several different means. There is off-street parking, however, this will be limited. The venue is a short distance from the town centre.
The event will start at 1pm. You will be provided with a free lunch, expected to be served at 2.10pm. Then there will be speakers with comfort breaks in between with the event aiming to finish at 6.30pm. During the break, we hope there will be an opportunity to network with other organisations and learn more about the services working with homelessness in the South West. A full programme will be released closer to the event.
If you are a part of an organisation that would like to host a stand at the event, please email [email protected]
We are really delighted to have a variety of different organisation and speakers, capturing the great work which happens across the South West and beyond. We hope the variety of discussions inspires and connects others.
Our Space, Theatre Royal
Our Space, located in Plymouth, is a creative program that works with adults with lived experience of homelessness, mental health issues, substance misuse, reoffending or feel socially isolated for other reasons.
Our Space practitioners and artists with lived experience will present our approaches to co-creation and the impact of using the arts as a tool to build confidence, improve self-esteem and resilience and develop transferable skills for everyday life. This presentation will be followed by a practical insight into the methods we use in the workshop environment.
More information about the program here: https://theatre-royal-plymouth-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/07/23100055/Our-Space-final-min.pdf
Gaining Real Opportunities of Work, Shelter
'Katie is The GROW, (Gaining Real Opportunities of Work) Involvement Officer for the South of England at Shelter, the National Housing Rights Charity. The GROW Programme Supports people who, through multiple disadvantages, have lived experience of housing issues and homelessness, back into rewarding work. Katie will be talking about her own lived experience of becoming homeless, and how she became a GROW trainee and then a GROW Involvement Officer, supporting new trainees to overcome barriers to work, through a trauma-informed lens and support program that is allowing her to unlock her own potential
More information about the program here: https://blog.shelter.org.uk/2021/02/grow-exploring-new-opportunities/
'The space in between: where the magic happens' Suzanne Elliott and Joseph Murphy'
Suzanne Elliott, Clinical Psychologist, Leicester Homeless Mental Health Service and Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Framework, Nottingham.
I have worked for the NHS Homeless Mental Health Service in Leicester for 17 years. and for Nottingham's primary voluntary sector provider for homeless people for the last 4 years. I am drawn to community psychology, attachment theory and narrative approaches in my work with both organisations rolling out city-wide 'Psychologically Informed Environments' initiatives. My passions are working with systems and communities to build solidarity within and across them so that they are better able to stand alongside those experiencing disadvantage and homelessness.
My name is Joseph Murphy and I have worked alongside communities for the last 30 years. Up until recently, I have managed a rough sleeper team for 14 years working with people from varied backgrounds who found themselves having to live on the streets. I am an independent trainer and consultant, delivering bespoke training to staff and the organisation and its networks for whole systems change. I am a reflective practice facilitator and, in this role, I am currently working with community organisations here in the UK, Poland, and Kenya. I am the founder and director of the Good Grace foundation which works to develop regenerative land and people care through education, reflection in action, and empowerment.
Our presentation will draw from our experiences working across the boundaries between individuals who are experiencing homelessness, between organisations supporting them, and between communities internationally. We will draw from community psychology and narrative approaches to share a trauma-informed approach to taking action about homelessness within and between your communities.
Homelessness Impact
No-one should leave prison homeless' Dr Rosie Reynolds, Centre for Homelessness Impact
Rosie is the Practice and Partnerships Lead at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, an independent organisation working to end homelessness in the UK through better use of evidence and data. She has a decade of experience supporting people to access education, training and employment - in particular working with people in prison and with young people experiencing homelessness.
Rosie will be talking about the issue of homelessness as it impacts people being released from prison. Focusing on the evidence, she will talk about what we know works, what we want to know more about, and why this is a hopeful and decisive moment for those working on the problem.
You can find out more about the evidence around people leaving prison and homelessness, here.
Bristol Hospitality Network
Bristol Hospitality Network works alongside people seeking asylum who are facing destitution in Bristol. We source hosted accommodation for those in need and promote community engagement across the city. We are led by our members and we love to cook and eat together while we solve many problems through solidarity.
Speaking at this event will be 2 people seeking asylum plus Laura Chester and Issa Gherwi who manage the hosting network. We will share with you the impact of living with No Recourse to Public Funds and the impact of being hosted through Bristol Hospitality Network.
Steve Gower
I am a volunteer Advocate for the homeless in Gloucester.
Since becoming homeless in 2016 and signposted to an HMO, I have lived experiences of my own struggles to regain a home and those of others.
Gaining recognised certification in this field The Homeless Reduction Act 2018, HHSRS Certification and Equalities Officer for Unite Community, whilst still coming to terms with my new surroundings and community.
I have represented individuals in housing, benefit, council and landlord disputes and many have been involved in campaigns both local and national, which have taken me to two Royal courts of Justice poverty cases and numerous Magistrates and Crown court cases involving fuel poverty.
https://www.blackdogwayfilm.co.uk/
More information here: https://www.bhn.org.uk/
We will also have stands from local organisation including, ARA (https://www.recovery4all.co.uk/)
Caring in Bristol (https://caringinbristol.co.uk/) and Shelter
To view the current programme please click the link below
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U_O4XnAJiOKcQrHKWl4lOqtX0ny7gqofteQujkjeqGY/edit