The power of stories: Homelessness, substance misuse and the criminal justice system

The approach

250,000 people in England experience severe and multiple disadvantage, and £4.3 billion has been spent supporting people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health difficulties. 

Too often policy decisions and the delivery of public services are heavily driven by data. This kind of evidence is important, but relying on it as the main source of insight can factor out the empathy that drove investment and action in the first place.

We partnered with User Voice and were funded by Lankelly Chase to dig deep and reveal the complex human stories that sat behind the data, to generate new insights about how the systems of support for people needed to change. 

Over 12 months we:

• Developed 12 rich stories through participatory research
   
• Connected with 100 policy makers and service providers 
   
• Learnt five big lessons for system change

Our impact 

The impact of the research was three-fold:

• The storytelling process provided those we talked to a platform for understanding their own lives – their problems and needs, but also what they hoped for and what they were capable of. 
   
• A celebration event at the House of Lords gave the research participants the chance to discuss the changes they wanted to see across the system, exercising agency and influence.
   
• Service providers, commissioners, policy influencers, and experts, came together to listen and learn from the stories, connect with other change makers and reflect on how to best put the learnings into practice. A workshop in Newcastle allowed people to apply these insights to their existing work – strengthening and giving momentum to a coalition of local organisations working with adults with complex needs.

Resources

View the stories on the Hard Edges Website

The team at Lankelly Chase were new to this kind of ethnographic research – the project was an experiment around how they communicate important messages with the world. They now see understanding and telling human stories as core to their work and are better equipped to undertake this kind of research in the future.