Homeful not Homeless: how the chartered institute of housing are changing the conversation
In March 2023 the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) with De Montfort University, Leicester, launched their final report into homelessness in the UK. Digital Voice were commissioned to create a DigitalMe, which premiered at the event.
The Homeful report highlighted approaches to resolving and preventing homelessness, focussing not just on those people we see sleeping on the streets, but the hidden cases. The report’s author and President of CIH, Jo Richardson, establishes the ways in which people feel disconnected from a sense of home, which happens when any of these six pillars are missing; security; affordability; safety; quality; privacy; connectedness.
The film we made highlights the lived experience of those who are, or have been, homeless. These testimonials demonstrate that rough sleepers are just the tip of the iceberg; a lot of homelessness is hidden from view and can be a very difficult and long-term situation to get out of without the proper support.
“Off and on for the last thirty, forty years now, I’ve been homeless. I’ve had periods where everything has become settled but then something happens and I find myself back at the bottom of the ladder again.”
-DigitalMe participant
Following the successful launch event, Jo Richardson wants the DigitalMe to be used alongside the final report as an appeal to the social housing sector to come together and tackle this challenging issue:
“I want CIH members, social housing organisations and networks, people experiencing homelessness, residents, charities and agencies to come together to produce the most complete evidence base of what works across the sector in the UK. We will learn as we do - and do as we learn. We can – and will - seek to end homelessness for good.”
Our thanks to the participants who shared their stories with us and hope Jo and her colleagues across the country see positive results.
We recently won an award for a different DigitalMe project, read all about it here: And the winner is …?