In 2024 the North East of England saw an annual increase in homelessness of 53%…
The biggest annual increase in the whole of the U.K.
- Shelter, 2024
See Me North
See Me North is a project led by Northumbria University which aims to develop and evidence an integrated creative care model for people with experience of homelessness. The project funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), is co-created, trauma-informed and takes a broad and holistic view of health.
Our working definition of homelessness is…
“… anyone sleeping rough, living in shelters, hostels, and temporary or unsuitable accommodation.”
This project encourages services to see people who have experience of homelessness (past or present) as whole people with strengths, talents, resilience, and aspirations rather than defining people by their needs.
Taking an integrated creative health approach to homelessness moves the system from a focus on meeting the most basic needs (food, water, shelter, safety) to one which is able to meet the more complex emotional, social, and spiritual needs we come with as complex human beings (acceptance and belonging, purpose and fulfilment) and to facilitate personal growth and development.
Spanning three years, the See Me North project aims to inform and develop trauma informed approaches, evidence good creative health practice locally and nationally, map creative health approaches across the North East and Cumbria and support integration within the health system, and develop an online directory of available support, working collaboratively with decision-makers, service providers, and people with lived experience of homelessness to continually challenge, grow, and celebrate practice across the region.
Project Team
Professor Monique Lhussier
Co Lead
Director of CHASE
Northumbria University
Dr Christina Cooper
Co Lead
Assistant Professor
Northumbria University
Dr Alex Kirton
Research Fellow
Northumbria University
Fleur Riley
Project Coordinator
Northumbria University
Dr Tom Astley
Research Fellow
Northumbria University
Dr Charlotte Bilby
Research Fellow
Northumbria University
Project Partners
Tyne Housing
Tyne provides support, housing, healthcare and training to the North East’s most vulnerable people. Since 1973, we’ve been there for those who need us, investing in our communities to ensure everyone has a chance to get to a better place.
Groundswell
Groundswell’s mission is to bring people together to amplify voices of people with lived experience to create solutions to homelessness and health inequalities and to stand in solidarity and champion their rights, to create positive change.
Chilli Studios
Chilli Studios aims to help people improve their mental health through creativity. It is a registered charity that delivers services to those who are, or are at risk of experiencing diagnosed mental health problems, and those who experience other forms of social exclusion within their communities.
Art Gene
Art Gene is an independent, international centre for art and environment based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Helix Arts
Helix Arts is an arts charity collaborating and connecting with local communities, supporting community members and artists to work together to bring about meaningful changes to their health, their prospects, their communities, and their environments.
Alphabetti Theatre
Alphabetti is an award-winning theatre, arts space, cafe, bar and warm hub in Newcastle, providing a high-quality programme which is affordable and accessible for all.
The See Me North project works alongside people with lived experience of homelessness…
Lived Experience
Based on the principle of ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’, everything we do at See Me North is informed by and developed with people with lived experience of homelessness.
We offer a broad range of activities for involvement including:
attending workshops
sharing stories and experiences
peer-to-peer support for engagement in creative activities
development of research tools
participant recruitment
creative session observations
data collection and analysis
contributing to report and paper writing
conference presentations
All of these opportunities and activities mean that whatever we do within the project, it is co-produced with those with lived experience of homelessness. All lived experience members are paid for their contribution to the project.
For those who are really keen on getting involved in research, we can also provide research training through our bespoke Public Involvement and Community Engagement training modules at Northumbria University giving you the chance to become a student, develop skills, and possibly come away with a university qualification. There are a limited number of places funded by the project, so if this is something you would be interested in let us know when you join the project so we can discuss it further. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us.
Project Logo
Newcastle-based non-profit design company Roots and Wings worked with the project team and a group of ‘experts by experience’ to explore visual concepts, the stigmas surrounding homelessness, and how creative practice can provide a release for people experiencing it. It became clear through the process that there were so many unique stories and ‘me’s’ to portray that the design team created a logo that had a vast array of different ‘me’s’ encapsulated in the ‘see’/ the common desire to be seen as an individual.
So many ideas came from the sessions, that they provided direction not just for the logo but a vision for the accompanying artwork. You can see some of the logo development work below… We can’t wait to see it on a hoodie… or tattooed on Christina’s arm ;-)
Workshops
See Me North Workshops take place at Northumbria University every three months and are open to policy and decision makers, service providers, practitioners, creatives, academics and people with lived experience of homelessness. These workshops provide a safe and collaborative space to discuss all things homelessness, celebrating good practice and supporting growth and development of the system. Lunch is provided, so do come along and see what we’re about. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact us.
Upcoming Workshops
The following workshops are in planning, and the topic may be subject to change. Please contact us if you are interested in attending future workshops and we will add you to the mailing list.
June: Stigma
This workshop will focus on stigma around homelessness and consider how stigma can be challenged and reduced using creativity and arts-based activities.
September: Knowledge Equity
This workshop will explore ideas around knowledge production, and how we can co-create knowledge around homelessness in a fair and equitable way.
December: Signposting
This workshop will introduce the signposting website we are creating as part of this project, and explore the role of signposting in expanding access to creative activities for people who have experienced homelessness.
March: Trauma Study Findings
This workshop will share findings from our Work Package one study, which investigated the impact of trauma on executive function in people who have experienced homelessness.
June: Evaluation Study Findings
This workshop will share findings from our Work Package two study, which evaluated creative participation with people who have experienced homelessness.
September: Building Bridges
This workshop will discuss findings and learnings from our Work Packages three and four, which focussed on expanding networks and access to creative activities for people who have experienced homelessness.
December: Building Trust
This workshop will bring together learnings from across the project and consider the role of trust in homelessness and creative health.
Past Workshops
Workshop 1 (May 2024) saw the official public launch of the See Me North project, introducing creative partners to the existing health network, and reflection on the creative health quality framework.
Workshop 2 (September 2024) focused on trauma, the neurological impacts of childhood trauma, and trauma informed care.
Workshop 3 (December 2024) focused on stories of homelessness, building on a theatre performance. The workshop took the shape of a conversation between experts by experience and researchers/practitioners about what it means to tell one’s story to different audiences and for different purposes.
Workshop 4 (13th March 2025) ‘What comes after/with a roof’ explored the Housing First model and what is needed from wraparound care.