“I’m here to prevent the next generation of Big Issue vendors.”

Homelessness is an example of a wicked problem – a complex, messy problem with many causes, contradictory forces, and no easy solution. Wicked problems are rooted in broken systems.

It’s estimated that 2% of the world’s population are homeless. But many more – perhaps 1 in 5 people worldwide – may lack adequate and secure housing.

In this episode we focus on the situation in the UK, where an unprecedented number of people are without a home or living on the streets. That number has doubled since 2010, and continues to trend upward. 

What will it take to shift the status quo on homelessness? 

We start with a report from the frontline of care for homeless people during the pandemic, recorded for us by Sara Emerson of Brighton charity Justlife. The coronavirus lockdown has had the short-term benefit of getting people off the streets and into temporary housing. But that’s an emergency measure, not a solution. 

Peter digs into the roots of homelessness with Dr Elisabeth Garratt from the Sheffield Methods Institute, who leads a research project exploring people’s experiences of homelessness in Oxford. And he talks to the founder of the Big Issue, Lord John Bird, about possible solutions, and how his own lived experience of homelessness helped him to redefine how we think about the problem. 

Reimagine is a podcast about people who are inventing the future. Presented by Oxford Answers and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. New episodes on Thursdays.

Featuring:

Sara Emerson, Justlife, https://www.justlife.org.uk

Dr Elisabeth Garratt (@eagarratt), lecturer at the Sheffield Methods Institute

Lord John Bird (@johnbirdswords), https://www.bigissue.com

Host:

Peter Drobac (@peterdrobac), Director of the @SkollCentre for Social Entrepreneurship, Oxford Saïd Business School

Resources:

In 2019, Saïd Business School announced a three-year partnership with Homeless Oxfordshire, a charity that provides short-term accommodation to the homeless in the county alongside high-quality support and initiatives to help them regain and maintain independence.

Want to learn more about the show? Check out www.reimaginepodcast.com.

Have a question for Peter? Email him at peter@reimaginepodcast.com.

Credits:

Producer/editor – Eve Streeter for Stabl

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