Behind the Door
Shifting perceptions of what homelessness means for women and families.
The Museum of the Home is partnering with the London Homeless Collective to help tackle this increasing but under-resourced problem.
Together we can make a difference
Behind the Door is a new campaign to change the lives of the many women and families facing homelessness today. It is a partnership between the Museum of the Home and London Homeless Collective.
We need your help to succeed in our collective goal of ending female homelessness.
What we want to do
Raise awareness of the unique issues faced by women and families experiencing homelessness in the UK
Shift perceptions about what homelessness is and challenge deep-set prejudices in surprising ways
Bring together key stakeholders to develop a pan-London strategy to tackle homelessness in women and children
Collaborate with our partners and, with your help, find solutions to female homelessness
Raise funds to achieve these objectives
Why Behind the Door matters
- 28% of people accessing hostels and homelessness accommodation in 2018/19 were women (Homeless Link, 2019 p24)
- Only 10% of homelessness accommodation projects in England in 2018/19 were women-only (Homeless Link, 2019 p17)
- Around one-fifth of young women have been sexually abused or exploited while out of stable accommodation (Depaul, 2018)
- Women and young people (aged 16-24) tend to stay in 'hidden homeless' situations (e.g. sofa surfing) rather than access services (Homeless Link, 2019 p24)
- In Britain, one child becomes homeless every eight minutes (Shelter, 2019 p.7)
- Half of families without a permanent home are in work (Shelter, 2018)
Shifting perceptions
Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, talks about perceptions of homelessness
"When the general public thinks about homelessness, the image that comes to mind is often that of an older man who sleeps rough, but the issue is a lot more than that.
With the Museum of the Home, we will be able to explore the homelessness that is happening every day in London, often behind closed doors, and often with women and families.
It's a challenging thought, but one that we looking forward to exploring artistically and intelligently."
Why now more than ever
With the outbreak of Covid-19 the homelessness sector is facing an unprecedented challenge.
Living on the street or in temporary accommodation makes it so much harder to protect yourself or your family from the virus.
We must take action now to ensure that women and children facing homelessness receive the urgent support that they so need.
Campaign activities
Our Behind the Door activities will raise awareness and funds to help change the lives of women and children facing homelessness in London today.
Sign up for our enewsletter to receive information about future events and Behind the Door updates.
Holding the Baby exhibition
A new participatory photography project by artist Polly Braden
Through portraits and interviews, Holding the Baby will highlight the lived experience, challenges and strength of single mothers facing poverty.
Showing at the Museum of the Home in 2021, then touring to Liverpool and Bristol.
Founding Sisters
We are appealing to amazing women to be the backbone of this campaign – to support their fellow women financially but also with their ideas, time and networks.
The pandemic has shaped the way we live and we must take action to make our society better than before. This is an opportunity to support your fellow women and make positive change.
For more information, please contact Lucy Littlewood, Director of Partnerships, at LLittlewood@MuseumoftheHome.org.uk
About the London Homeless Collective
The Museum of the Home is proud to be partnering with the London Homeless Collective on this campaign.
The London Homeless Collective is a movement of more than 25 charities that help people experiencing homelessness in London.
The member charities reflect London's rich tapestry; some are household names working across our city while others are much smaller and local or specialise in supporting specific groups.
We believe that by collaborating – sharing our ideas, experience and opportunities – we can achieve our collective ambition of ending homelessness in London.
London Homeless Collective member charities
Akt, Barons Court Project, The Big Issue Foundation, Caritas Anchor House, Centrepoint, Church Army, DePaul, Glass Door, Homeless Action in Barnet, Homeless Link, Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness, New Horizon Youth Centre, The Passage, Shelter, The Salvation Army, Shelter, shp, Spear, The Connection at St Martins-in-the-Fields, WLM, YMCA, 999 Club
How it works
100% of the funds raised will go towards the Behind the Door campaign, which will allocate support to each partner organisation. 70% will go to the Museum of the Home to deliver the campaign, with 30% to the London Homeless Collective to deliver frontline activities.
How you can help
Everyone deserves the dignity of a secure home. Together, we can put female homelessness on the agenda in London and make positive, lasting change.
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