Many of the major media outlets reported last month on the shocking statistic that, on average, the death of a homeless person occurs every 19 hours in the UK. The Dying Homeless Project records these deaths, respectfully marking the lives these people have led, and looking for lessons that can be learned to reduce the number of deaths of homeless people.
Dying Homeless Project
The Dying Homeless Project was launched the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in October 2017. Incredibly, before the launch of the project, nobody was keeping a record of how many people were dying on the streets. The statistics should shame the whole nation. 800 deaths were recorded between October 2017 and March 2019, when the BIJ handed responsibility for the project to the Museum of Homelessness.
Museum of Homelessness
Six months into their tenure of the project, the Museum of Homelessness reported an additional 235 deaths – one every 19 hours on average. Based in Brixton, the Museum of Homelessness is not a ‘bricks and mortar’ museum, but a dedicated group of individuals who seek to raise the profile of homeless people by exhibiting their art, history and culture.
Recording the number of deaths of rough sleepers and those in insecure temporary accommodation is a noble undertaking. And the shameful statistics revealed demand action.
Kanndoo Action
At Kanndoo, part of our project is using digital technology to map resources intended to help homeless people and other people living in poverty.
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