Who we are
We are people from across England with lived experience of disadvantage who are passionate about giving people a voice in key decisions made about their lives.
We were set-up in April 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way of ensuring that national Government heard the impact of pandemic from those with direct experience of disadvantage.
Our wisdom
We regularly meet to discuss the challenges that people experiencing multiple disadvantages face when engaging with housing, homelessness services and the public and voluntary sector. We are working to:
Influence the system (e.g. national and local government, charities and voluntary sector) to adopt a trauma-informed and holistic approach to working alongside people experiencing homelessness
Support, promote and inspire co-production in national and local policy decision making around homelessness
Latest Influencing
This submission presents widespread instances of poor quality exempt accommodation that has ostensibly been funded to support people make positive changes to their lives. We believe that there is currently a clear absence of any sort of mechanisms that guarantees that there is a safe and effective level of support provided for those in exempt accommodation across the country. We suggest some considerations for policy makers for designing an effective mechanism to meet this purpose.
Expert Link stands with other charities in their call to reverse the decision to cut Universal Credit and to freeze Local Housing Allowance. Without action, many people, in particular families, could fast become homeless.
The National Advisory Panel recently submitted evidence to the Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping.
Our submission to the Dame Carol Black Review focused on preventing problematic drug use, the lived experience of accessing drug treatment and the effects this has on engagement, recommendations for change within the workforce, and positive practice that has taken place during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expert Link statement on the Vagrancy Act: Enforcement approaches to begging will not work - they risk traumatising individuals, don’t look at the causes of begging and do not support individuals to recognise their talents.
Making a difference
If you would like to work with us to bring about positive changes to local and national policy, please get in touch.
Our Reports
February 2021
Vaccine roll-out, experiences of people begging, experiences of staff in homelessness and related services
3 December 2020
Deficit-based services, employment opportunities for people with lived experience of disadvantage.