Lived Insights 💬

Our NEW website is LIVE! 💜💬

Check it out: livedinsights.org

A special thank you to @onetoonedevtrust.bsky.social for their fantastic work, support, and guidance throughout the process. We couldn’t be happier with the final result!

Please explore, share, and let us know what you think!

Watch this space...

Something exciting is coming on Wednesday!

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to finally share it with you.

Stay tuned - you won’t want to miss this.

#ComingSoon #BigReveal #WebsiteLaunch @onetoonedevtrust.bsky.social

Four men standing together at York train station. One of them is giving a thumbs up. They are all on a trip to London.

Big day in London for lived experience voices.

Miles is meeting with DWP as part of the governments pledge to listen to people with lived experience - helping to shape the future of the benefits system as part of the ‘Right to Try Work’ committee.

👇 With Charlie, Thomas & Tony at the station.

We'll be in Museum Gardens this Sunday 29 June, 10 – 5 pm!

Find us at the ‘Happy to Chat’ bench near the Museum Street entrance.

We’re here to listen - tell us what’s working (or not) when it comes to support + resources in York.

Stop by, say hi, and let’s chat! 💬

Tourism: Our Voice A groundbreaking national conference uncovering the potential of regenerative tourism to drive social change and empower local communities.

We're excited to be speaking at Tourism Voice! Join Miles from @livedinsightsyork.bsky.social for the lunchtime session as he shares his experience of being a tour guide with Good Organisation (Social Ventures) CIC.

York Creative Centre | 3 July | 9–5pm
🎟 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tourism-ou...

Astrid stands casually against the historic stone walls of St Mary's ruins in York, wearing a green jumper, a winter cardigan, and red boots.

Join us on Sunday 29 June, 10 - 5 pm in Museum Gardens at the 'Happy to Chat' bench near the Museum Street entrance.

We’ll be chatting with the community about all things York resources - what's working, what’s not, and what changes you want to see. This is your chance to #HaveYourSay 💬

Together we are discussing what being 'left behind' means.

- Your voice and opinions not being listened to
- Missing education, skills and employment opportunities
- Being physically left behind due to transport and accessibility issues

An image of the York Pride logo featuring a black and white stencil illustration of Clifford's Tower and the York city walls, below the landmark are colourful squiggly rainbow coloured lines represent the Pride flag. The word 'PRIDE' appears in bold white letters inside a solid purple rectangle beneath the image.

Astrid will be at York Explore Library this Saturday - just before the York Pride march! 🏳️‍🌈 If you have lived experience of homelessness, addiction, mental health, or the criminal justice system, she’d love to chat.
Your voice matters. Everyone is welcome.
🕚 Saturday, 11am
📍 York Explore Library

We're heading to Frimhurst, Kent for the annual @aplecollective.bsky.social gathering hosted by @atd-fourthworld-uk.bsky.social at Frimhurst Family House.

Always a highlight - bringing together people with lived experience for workshops, reflection and collective action.
Can’t wait to see everyone!

📣 It’s #APLEMonth!

This June we’re celebrating lived experience leadership with:

🌟 Volunteers Week
🏡 Our annual Frimhurst gathering
📚 Spotlighting our #TakingVoiceSeriously work

Follow along, get involved, and help us amplify voices that matter.

Why it’s vital that the Government gets the Renters’ Rights Bill right - Miles Goring The long-awaited Renters’ Rights Bill has been working its way through the House of Lords this month. It’s massively important to the once-homeless people I meet every week, and it’s vital that the Go...

Miles has written an article for @yorkshirepost.co.uk on 'rent caps' and was thrilled to have the opportunity to share a view on this issue. We're proud to see Miles's article published and hope it sparks conversations about the growing issue of rising rents.
www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...

Unheard York: ‘A dual diagnosis of bipolar and ADHD is really hard’ ‘Society has an idea of where everyone should live – but not everyone fits the system’

For #NationalConversationWeek, we’re re-sharing Tammy’s story - part of the 'Unheard York' series with Church Action on Poverty & York Mix.

Tammy speaks about her journey with bipolar, ADHD, recovery & the barriers she faced.

🔗 yorkmix.com/unheard-york...

Unheard York: When living on the streets is safer than the ‘prison’ of a house ‘Society has an idea of where everyone should live – but not everyone fits the system’

yorkmix.com/unheard-york...

In the third 'Unheard York' story, John + Dave share why ‘normal’ housing isn’t working for them.

“Society has ideas about where we should live but not everyone fits the system.”

We’re resharing for #NationalConversationWeek because lived experience must shape the conversation.
🔗 Link in comments.

Unheard York: ‘I had nothing’ – The reality of life with £2 to your name What it's really like to live in poverty in this city – and the hope for the future

It’s #NationalConversationWeek and we're revisiting powerful work that puts the voices of those with lived experience at the heart of the conversation.

Today, we’re resharing the second story in the series. Anne shares what it’s really like to live in poverty in York.

yorkmix.com/unheard-york...

Unheard York: ‘What I learned from four months in York’s homeless system’ How Charlotte and her family were made homeless – and what the city should learn from her ordeal

It’s #NationalConversationWeek & we’re revisiting a powerful series we created with Church Action on Poverty & @theyorkmix.bsky.social sharing real stories of navigating support services. Starting with Charlotte’s story - homeless in York and what the city should learn.
🔗 yorkmix.com/unheard-york...

Miles - Listen Up! Hub I'm Miles, dad of two, lived in York for 33 yrs whose overcome homelessness and addiction to become a local reporter for Groundswell since 2020 sharing my experience and thoughts on various aspects of...

Today is #WritingforHealthandHealingDay.
@itsgroundswell.bsky.social empowers people with experience of homelessness to lead change. Miles was a reporter for their 'Listen Up Project' and used writing to heal and amplify unheard voices.
Read his work here groundswell-listenup-hub.org/reporters/mi...

The front cover of the Healthwatch York mental health and wellbeing guide.

It's #mentalhealthawarenessweek. If you're in York and need support for mental health or wellbeing, our guide can help. It lists all the different NHS and voluntary organisations who provide support. Find a copy online at: www.healthwatchyork.co.uk/wp-content/u... or we can post a copy.

It’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek & the theme is community.

We amplify voices with experience of homelessness, addiction, mental health & the criminal justice system to shape better support.
Know someone with an experience they want to share? Invite them to our café. Mondays, 1–3pm, St Deny's, York.

Feel free to reach out: miles@livedinsights.org

An image of Miles holding a cup of tea at the pop-up café. Miles is wearing a hat and has a pair of blue headphones around his neck.

Who is Lived Insights? 💬

Meet Miles. Based in York, with roots in financial services, my life took a turn - addiction, mental ill health and homelessness in my late 40s.

Now in my 50s, I’ve found stability. I’m proud to be part of Lived Insights where we push for change through lived experience.

Feel free to reach out: astrid@livedinsights.org

Who is Lived Insights? 💬

Meet Astrid. Based in York, with roots in environmental research, my path’s taken unexpected turns - single motherhood, addiction, the justice system, hidden homelessness.

Now I work alongside others with lived experience to drive real change. No one should be left behind.

A photo of Astrid and Miles outside St Deny's in York where they host a pop-up research café. They are stood in front of a red open door.

Who is Lived Insights? 💬

We’re Miles & Astrid who have both had direct experience of homelessness and addiction.

We’re excited to start sharing our latest news and projects and look back at some of our favourite past projects too.

Help us get started by giving our page a follow, like, or share!

An image of the Lived Insights logo. The logo features the words “Lived Insights” inside a green speech bubble, symbolising communication and shared voices. The letter “e” in "Lived" and the letter “g” in "Insights" are highlighted in green (the rest of the text is in purple) – this is for visual effect. Outside of the speech bubble, is the strapline “Community Driven Change”.

Introducing Lived Insights 💬

We're working with people who have lived experience of homelessness, addiction, mental ill health, and the criminal justice system - putting them at the centre of real change.

We’re just getting started on socials. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn & Bluesky.

An image of the Lived Insights logo. The logo features the words “Lived Insights” inside a green speech bubble, symbolising communication and shared voices. The letter “e” in "Lived" and the letter “g” in "Insights" are highlighted in green (the rest of the text is in purple) – this is for visual effect. Outside of the speech bubble, is the strapline “Community Driven Change”.

Coming soon...