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Single Homeless Project were awarded a Dying Matters Community Grant in 2022. Find out how they used it to change the narrative of grief for people experiencing homelessness.

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When Single Homeless Project applied for a Dying Matters Community Grant, they recognised that their clients – people experiencing homelessness in London – were more likely to have experienced multiple bereavements than the average population.

Bereavement is often a contributing factor to someone finding themselves without stable housing. Many people experiencing homelessness have also seen friends die prematurely; and the mortality rate for people experiencing homelessness is significantly higher than the rate for the housed population.

“After the pandemic we realised that a lot of our service users and staff were experiencing a lot of grief and loss… we didn’t necessarily have the required space or time to allow our clients to be able to process emotions around this.” – Meg O’Malley, Single Homeless Project 

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Relief in Remembrance

Single Homeless Project’s grant funding enabled them to develop a bespoke ceramics course to address this. By taking part, their clients could reflect on grief and personal legacy, and change their narrative from one of daily survival to that of a celebration of life, cherishing memories of loved ones, and looking ahead to future goals. 

They delivered this six week course in three different London boroughs, and hosted an exhibition of the works in Greenwich.

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About Single Homeless Project 

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Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity whose vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life. They help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change.

About the Dying Matters Community Grants Programme

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The programme funds innovative arts projects which aim to start conversations about dying and grief with communities who are less likely to have received such support.  

At Dying Matters we want to see a society that’s better able to deal with these challenging but inevitable experiences. The arts, in all its forms, can play a vital role in creating spaces where these conversations can flourish. 

Explore more of our Community Grants projects, below.