On the Edge’

Film about Homelessness

Our new 30min drama ‘On the Edge’ about homelessness in Britain’s current climate of austerity is now completed and available to view here.

Featuring actors Andrew Dunn and Andrina Carroll, this love story focuses on the relationship between their different characters and the attitudes they encounter as they sleep rough in York.

Made with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, it was filmed around the city and also features a mix of real life ‘characters’.

The film is currently available on Vimeo to play/stream to your school, college or organisation as a free online teaching resource. DVDs are available from Concord Media (www.concordmedia.org.uk). Please contact us for details and discussion checklist.

 

Work with the Homeless Services, people in supported accommodation and Homelessness prevention

We work with and on behalf of homeless groups. We create interactive performances/workshops with them that focus their concerns and needs, drawing them together to take more control of their situation.  We train and mentor their self-advocacy or peer-education projects.  To dispel prejudice and reduce homelessness we have toured interactive shows in secondary schools.

Projects with Rough Sleepers

Early projects included improvised, interactive performances in hostels in York and Leeds exploring issues raised by audience members, and drama workshops at St Anne’s drop-in centre in Leeds.

Homelessness prevention for Young People

‘Leaving Home’; An interactive performance workshop exploring problems at home, leaving home and rough sleeping, including drug related issues.  Workshops complement PSHE/Citizenship curriculae and have been effectively adapted for performance in youth clubs, community centres, colleges and pupil support units, as well as secondary schools.
(Originally devised for ‘Nightstop’ and the City of York Education Authority)

Projects with people in Supported Accommodation

We run workshops to develop communication skills with young people whohave been homeless and helped them devise peer education projects (including video/DVD) for other young people who might be at risk, working with organisations in Milton Keynes, Harrogate, Scarborough, Settle, Skipton and York.  We have also facilitated meetings of service user groups and staff/user dialogues in hostels and day centres.

Public Service Conferences and Consultations

We have provided mentoring,  and interactive performances (often with service users as co-performers) for consultations on behalf of housing departments and support organisations including:

  • Mentoring Naked Subculture (Theatre Company formed by ex-Big Issue sellers in Manchester) for consultation with service users in Supported Accommodation.
  • Consultations with service users for Stonham Housing (Supporting People) in Malton, North Yorkshire
  • Consultations with service users & Conference for Supporting People and Bolton MBC
  • Consultation/conference with service users for Supporting People, North Yorkshire  

If you want to know more about our work with homeless people or would like to discuss how we could help your group please contact us.