I’m Miles, dad of two, lived in York for 33 yrs whose overcome homelessness and addiction to become a local reporter for Groundswell since 2020 sharing my experience and thoughts on various aspects of my journey.

My name is B, aged 39 and based in the Midlands, having grown up between London and the South Coast. The majority of adult life; in-work homelessness experienced in a variety of industries, trying and working for a better quality of life. On three occasions:  unemployment, emotional wellbeing needs, and circumstantial changes in hand with […]

I’m Sheryle Thomas. I live in London . I was homeless on/ off for 24 years. I am now in supported housing. I am a keen activist / feminist who helps support women experiencing homelessness and volunteers within a group to help with period poverty whilst experiencing homelessness.

I was born and I am. That’s a fact. Not necessarily in chronological order- Singer. Poet. Soldier. Veteran. Drinker. Manager. Alcoholic. Owner. Shoemaker. Busker. Sailor. Painter. Homeless. Sober. Volunteer. Peer/mentor. Reporter. I know who I was who I am and I have no idea who I will be.

Landed as a Human Being, Here on Earth in 1967 contemporary era. Linguistics consisting as Alien, French, English. Please choice at Demand and Supply, subject to availability on a daily basis. Educational curriculum in France, tick! Hospitality for three ages, sailor for twelve moons, swimming the seven seas, support worker for Aeons. On a journey […]

Refugees have made a massive cultural, social, and economic contribution to life in the UK. Until the 1880s, the predominant attitude in British politics was one of ‘liberal tolerance’ towards foreigners, including refugees fleeing political persecution. However, UK immigration policy was not always this welcoming. We haven’t forgotten Theresa May’s hostile attitude toward Caribbean immigration […]

Please note: the report talks about mental health and substance use As someone with mental health issues – having them since the age of 17 when a family member passed away – I went into a deep depression. Not knowing what to do I turned to drink and crime. I was stealing to feed my […]

Morshed talks about his experiences with diabetes, he describes how he first knew he had the condition and then goes on to explain how he was told how his ethnicity impacts his experience of diabetes. Like many others with diabetes, Morshed highlights his struggles with getting GP appointments and the frustration of having to wait […]

My accommodation did not change. I live in temporary accommodation with my disabled boyfriend while still bidding on permanent place. There seem to be less suitable properties to bid on recently. Due to Covid we did not have an inspection every 8 weeks which was a relief as I always feel anxious about these inspections. […]

You know the old adage, which I simply put – Those who ignore History, are bound to (condemned to) repeat it.  So, having not effectively addressed, previously, the on-going mutations of the housing Universe, nothing much has changed. Despite good intentions of legislature, to enact byelaws to shield the vulnerable  My passage through this system, […]

Hi, My name is Kwaku Appiah. I was born in Kolebu hospital, Accra, Ghana. In October 1982. My name Kwaku means I was born on Wednesday. I grew up in Roman Catholic church, and I was a Mass Servant when I was thirteen years old. I completed my senior high school at age of 19yrs. […]

This is our last Listen Up monthly photography theme. From cats to food, the Listen Up! team respond to the theme ‘Symbol of Home’, and document what the phrase means to them. Tess’s photos: “Home for me as a cat. A happy cat, preferably a bit strange. Whenever I’ve not had a cat in my life, […]

Since being a Listen Up! Community reporter is an volunteer role,  this month we have documented  what it’s like to volunteer on a day to day basis either within Groundswell or elsewhere. We wanted to shine a light on all the wonderful and essential work that volunteers do! Miles’ Photo: running on empty…but still time […]

Myself and my partner have been impacted financially throughout this whole pandemic. More so, my partner but the knock-on effect cannot be understated. My partner works for an agency. Work slowed down quickly and for 6 weeks she had no income at all. We both assumed that meant she could get furloughed. However, because the […]