Beyond the Walls: Redefining Housing through Youth Perspectives

This project investigated the housing experiences of 16-30-year-olds in Gloucester. Through a series of workshops and creative exercises, we aimed to expand young people's understanding of the housing system, gathering their perspectives on accessing services, their experiences of navigating the housing system and exploring their hopes for the future. We built partnerships with several city wide organisations; GARAS and CCP to refine and deliver creative workshops as part of our research for the film and to ensure diverse voices were represented. By involving young people with lived experience of homelessness and the housing services in Gloucester in co-creating a film, we wanted to help improve and enhance the work of Gloucester City Homes, reduce barriers and stigma around housing and homelessness, and push for new and improved ways of developing services. 

“It was a pleasure to work with CHISPA on this project.  GARAS works with refugees and asylum seekers, who face very specific issues with regards to housing.  The majority of our clients do not have English as a first language, and do not have any understanding of the housing situation in the UK.  This project was therefore a good fit for their experiences.  CHISPA approached GARAS in a very helpful way, open to working with our clients in the way that suited them best.  They provided a workshop dedicated to this group of people, as their needs and understanding was so different to others that CHISPA were also working with.  Together we planned a good space for the workshop to be held, and CHISPA changed the format of the typical workshop to avoid re-traumatising clients when thinking about 'home'.  Everything was done with tact and compassion, and the issues that our clients face comes across well in the resulting film.  Thank you to everyone at CHISPA who was involved in this project, for inviting us to join and making it as welcoming a project as possible.” - Jennie Watts, GARAS