Lee Dale, Expert citizens, VOICES   In 2014 I was invited to do a short interview with Darren Murinas, Expert Citizens.  At the time I was very much still ‘in the fight’.  I say this because I was addicted to substances, including benzodiazepines and, although I was staying in temporary shared housing accommodation, I was technically homeless.  In the film I shared my lived experiences of addiction, mental ill health and homelessness.  The film was later used for 1001 Lives storytelling.  My story begins….   I came from an impoverished family and received free school meals which meant I was ‘different’ from the start –this resulted in me always having a low opinion of myself. I have grown up with these feelings which have affected me as an adult. I have recently found in my recovery that I was suffering with a mental health illness known as Social Anxiety Disorder.  This is a result of my experiences at school, not to forget the depression I experienced due to the death of my father when I was fourteen years old and later the death of my mother in 2009.  The latter sadly meant that I became homeless -this was a result, in my opinion, of, not… Continue Reading

Steven Barkess, Community development coordinator, VOICES   This month my colleague, Dean Spruce and I, attended a citizens jury presentation and launch of a report focusing on access to appropriate adult mental health services in Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire CCG’s who developed a committee in common to discuss; what is not one of the biggest health inequalities in the county. This is the second citizen’s jury to take place following the successful work done around diabetes and is the seventh community conversation to take place.   What is a citizen’s jury?   Essentially, a citizen’s during is a mechanism for participatory action research which allows people to be involved in the development of research leading to action on a local and national level. Citizen’s juries have been used widely throughout the United States since the 1960’s and were introduced to the UK in the 1990’s and have become common place in service evaluation, processes, planning and scrutiny within public services. Often people who are accepted onto the jury have some knowledge or experience of the subject that is be assessed or scrutinised. This isn’t of course the type of jury that will determine innocence or guilt but to propose possible recommendations, action or solutions to… Continue Reading

We would like to give our congratulations to our very own Steven Barkess, who has been awarded a placement on this year’s programme. Steve is one of only five lucky individuals who will be adventuring to the United States this spring in order to share good practice and exchange learning when working with homelessness and its surrounding issues. The Transatlantic Practice Exchange 2018 is supported by the Oak Foundation and delivered in partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to Jessica McKown, all the way from Pennsylvania, who will soon be joining us here in the office, hosted by our partners at Expert Citizens.   We look forward to getting to know Jessica during her time with us here in Stoke and hope we can support her in her learning around the impact of co-production.   The UK participants are: Ed Addison, St Mungo’s in London – responding to long-term street homelessness through multi-disciplinary outreach Flora Newbigin, Cardboard Citizens in London – using theatre to involve people with lived experience Rachel Inman, Elim Connect Centre in Wells – peer support and community involvement in rural homelessness settings Rachel Woolf, The Manna at St Stephen’s in London -… Continue Reading

Erin Dunn, Administrator, VOICES I remember the first time I went to see a doctor about my mental health. I’d always been somebody who got quite anxious, so I’d never really thought anything of it. However, this time something really wasn’t right. Stress and frustration had become to consume me to the point I was having panic attacks. I was starting to frighten myself and was unpleasant to be around. I had a chat with my mum, and she advised me to make an appointment with my GP. I remember feeling sick with worry, the thought of having to talk to somebody about my feelings petrified me. I hid how I felt behind jokes as I couldn’t bear to open up properly. What if I was laughed at? What if the things I was worrying about weren’t significant enough? Regardless of these feelings I went to see my GP; they reassured me that I wasn’t being silly, and that I had an anxiety disorder. I was prescribed some beta-blockers and referred to CBT. I left the doctor’s surgery feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I felt proud of myself for being honest about how I was feeling.… Continue Reading

Written by Steven Barkess, Community Development Coordinator, VOICES I am a member of the LGBT community and have had the privilege to witness many social movements of equality for many LGBT people in the western world. I have and have had many friends both part of and external to the LGBT community and I am still shocked to find that people in both spheres still have a huge lack of understanding of the issues transgender people face. Especially those going through gender reassignment. I am not an academic, or a specialist in transgender issues or trans myself but I am able to recognise some of the inequalities such as class and race which effect transgender people in today’s society. I am however a gay man who has got to know many transgender people both before and after transition. Within my career working with vulnerable people I have also observed some of the serious issues that trans men and women face. This has made me think a little more about the whole process. For someone to live their life as their true gender they often need to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, not only for the legal recognition but also to access medical… Continue Reading

Written by: Steve Gaunt, Employment Advisor – Families Matter Initiative, Department for Work and Pensions As DWP Workers with various job roles, both in the Jobcentre and out in the community, we support similar client groups as VOICES; very often those who have the most complex needs. Over the past few months we have attended a wide variety of courses provided by VOICES including Managing Conflict, Compulsive Hoarding and Working with Substance Misuse. These courses have all been delivered to an exceptionally high and professional standard. They have all been very informative, covering both theory and practical applications. The materials have been designed using a high proportion of local content reflecting the difficulties of clients we meet within Stoke on Trent so are particularly relevant; case studies and video recordings of people with lived experience. The courses have all provided ample opportunity for guided skills practice. One thing that really works well in the VOICES learning programme is that each course has been attended by staff from a variety of other support organisations and, as such, provided not only an opportunity to practice skills from different perspectives but also an excellent networking opportunity. Each course has also led to a deeper understanding of… Continue Reading

*Article originally featured by Staffordshire University, School of Law, Policing and Forensics Written by Sarah Page, Senior Lecturer Sociology & Criminology, Staffordshire University Staffordshire University works in partnership with Expert Citizens C.I.C. and VOICES; a local Big Lottery funded project in the national Fulfilling Lives: supporting people with multiple needs programme. Customers of VOICES experience a combination of homelessness, mental ill-health, substance misuse and offending. Their lives have been seriously affected by events and conditions over a prolonged period and, as a result, may present frequently at emergency health care facilities, drug and alcohol services, homelessness or mental health services. Recently, Anna Mather (VOICES) and Lee Dale (Expert Citizens C.I.C.) joined our Sociology and Criminology undergraduate students to talk through the Solution Focused and Asset Based Approach that they use with customers. Students had the opportunity to learn from customers about their experiences of substance misuse and they found out about services at VOICES and in Stoke-on-Trent that have helped them to significantly change their life. VOICES and expert Citizens C.I.C. use customer stories to help to improve services across the City and to educate people in the issues faced by customers experiencing multiple needs. The group of Sociology and Criminology students – from within the School… Continue Reading

VOICES is a partnership of voluntary, statutory, and private sector organisations that works to create cultural and systems change in the way that services are delivered for people experiencing a combination of homelessness, addiction, mental ill health and offending. People with multiple needs often encounter difficulties in accessing support and often experience exclusion from services. VOICES supports its partners and relevant agencies in their efforts to engage people with multiple needs and to articulate an authentic and legitimate ‘community voice’ for people with a lived experience of those needs.   Working as part of a vibrant and supportive team we are now recruiting for the following key positions:   1 x Service Coordinator, Salary: £20,971.60 plus benefits.   Working as part of a vibrant and supportive team of System Brokers, Service Coordinators, Community Development Coordinators, Expert Citizens, Students and Volunteers you will be creative and understanding of the needs of customers who are experiencing multiple needs. You will be proactive in developing effective service coordination plans and advocate the case for customer access through the available service systems by encouraging a focus on their strengths and assets as appropriate.   Closing date for the post is Monday 30th April 2018, at 5pm.   Interview date (if shortlisted) for the… Continue Reading