Humans of Lancashire: telling the stories of the people we help

Published: by Alastair Ball

Humans of Lancashire

How does Shelter show the impact of the work we do? Finding or helping someone keep a home can transform their life, but the full impact of the range of support we offer is difficult to explain. Shelter Lancashire has a project that is attempting to do just this and it’s called Humans of Lancashire.

The project was started two years ago by Hope Barnes, who was a social media volunteer at Shelter’s Blackburn hub at the time. She came up with the idea to show what the Blackburn team were doing that was different to other Shelter’s hubs.

Humans of Lancashire is inspired by the photo blog Humans of New York, which has chronicled the lives of New Yorkers through photo portraits and written stories since 2010. Hope’s idea was to use the Shelter Lancashire social media accounts to share stories about the people Shelter has helped in a similar format.

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#HumansOfLancashire. Trevor. I used to live in Bolton with my wife. She cared for me after I had a stroke that left me wheelchair bound. Sadly, she passed away, and the house we had shared became too much for me – I struggled to move about without her help. It was time for a change. I wanted to move to Blackburn as I had made a lot of friends at the Stroke Society group meetings there. I needed a home with the right adaptations for my wheelchair, so I knew I needed to find a social housing property. I wasn’t in any rush and didn’t think I would be high priority, but I knew I needed help as I am not very good with computers and don’t know anyone who is. So I spoke to the team at the Shelter hub in Blackburn. They helped me fill out the form for social housing and explained how to bid on properties. A few months later I had finally gotten a property in the area I wanted. Shelter continued to help me by changing my benefits and council tax over to the new address. I don’t know what I would have done if Shelter wasn’t there to help me. . The #HumansOfLancashire series was photographed by @dccarter_ before the global health crisis. Our top priority remains the people we support, and we are working hard to limit the impact on our services so you can still get help. If you or someone you know needs support from their local Shelter services, visit our website to find details on our Get Help page. Huge thanks to @dccarter_, @photohopeth and everyone at Shelter Lancashire ♥️ #shelter #housing #homelessness #charity #photography #wheelchair #socialhousing

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‘People need to hear these stories,’ Hope said. ‘People need their perception changed on homelessness and housing issues. So, we need to put our clients’ stories out there.’ Hope thought that something similar would be a good approach for telling the stories of the people Shelter supports.

‘When you read Humans of New York, you don’t just see one picture, you hear this whole amazing back story and you’re like, “Wow, I can’t believe someone has had a life like that.” You feel sympathy for someone you have never met before.’

Hub manager Emma Garner agrees that this project was a great way to highlight the work Shelter Lancashire does, saying: ‘We’re doing this project because everyone is human and everyone needs help sometimes. Whether it’s with housing, whether it’s with debt problems or anything like that. That’s what we’re here to do.’ Emma hopes that the photos will encourage other people to seek help for their housing problems.

Hope and Emma asked Shelter Lancashire staff to suggest clients who would want their stories told.

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CW: Drug and alcohol use. #HumansOfLancashire. Michelle. My parents were quite strict when I was growing up. I rebelled as a teenager by taking drugs and ended up leaving home at 16. I went to agricultural college but my drug use progressed and I started taking heroin. In 2009 my partner overdosed. I decided to turn my life around, move to Devon and go into rehab. But then drink became my best friend, and in 2012 I relapsed with drugs and my psychosis became too much. I felt ashamed and embarrassed so I decided to get counselling from Inspire. I did 16 weeks of counselling, attended day groups, then to a Narcotics Anonymous spiritual programme which helped me stop wanting to use. I was nine months clean and sober until I began drinking again. I went into a recovery home but tested the patience of those in charge and I was asked to leave. I came to Shelter in Lancashire because I didn’t know what else to do. I knew I couldn’t stay in the hostels because they were rife with drugs and I wanted to stay clean of them. A family member let me stay with them for a bit, but it wasn’t a permanent solution and I needed stability. Carly at Shelter helped me get my own flat last week. She moved my priority banding for social housing completed the paperwork and got me the place I am in now. Frances helped me get furniture to make it a home. The service I have received can’t be faulted – they were there when I needed someone to talk to. And I am now 90 days sober. . The #HumansOfLancashire series was photographed by @dccarter_ before the global health crisis. Our top priority remains the people we support, and we are working hard to limit the impact on our services so you can still get help. If you or someone you know needs support from their local Shelter services, visit our website to find details on our Get Help page. Huge thanks to @dccarter_ @photohopeth and everyone at Shelter Lancashire ♥️ #shelter #housing #homelessness #charity #photography #📸 #recovery #rehab #socialhousing

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At first it was hard to find people willing to take part. The story of someone’s housing problems can be painful and many people were reluctant to share. ‘People don’t want to relive their story again and again,’ Emma said. ‘I can imagine it’s quite difficult for them. People want to move on with their lives.’

Despite this, the team were able to find nine people Shelter had helped who were willing to be photographed and to share their stories for the project. They also recruited a volunteer, Daniel Carter, who is a local photographer and who agreed to take pictures for Humans of Lancashire.

‘In the last few years I have been particularly enamoured with portrait photography and particularly authentic and genuine photography,’ Daniel said.

Daniel found that capturing a Shelter service user’s story for Humans of Lancashire was about more than just taking their photo. It involved getting to know the person and making a connection with them. ‘It became quite clear that building up a rapport with the subject is a really important part of the process of getting a photograph that might be quiet, it might be understated, but it’s a genuine image and a genuine representation of that person,’ he said.

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#HumansOfLancashire. Stephen. After 12 years together I split from my partner. That first night was spent sleeping in Darwen train station and, being February at the time, it was cold, wet, and rainy. The next day I went in search of a brew and bumped into my sister. She offered me somewhere to stay and even put me on her tenancy agreement. She had health problems and wanted to make sure I was covered in case anything happened. When she did sadly pass away, I couldn’t find the tenancy agreement she had put me on. As well as dealing with losing my sister, I was worried about my rights as a tenant – I didn’t know any of the landlord’s details as it had all been sorted through my sister. A friend told me to go to Shelter in Lancashire for help. They managed to contact the landlord and let him know what the situation was. Victoria and Katy from Shelter helped me go down the legal route and ask for a few weeks as I had no where else to go. Then the landlord spoke to Katy again and offered me a different property. This was great news – I’ve been really struggling with living in the house where my sister passed away. I’m moving into the new place soon and although it needs furniture it will soon be my new home thanks to Vic and Katy from Shelter, who were amazing.  I will now be volunteering for Shelter in my own time to say thank you. The support has been incredible. Shelter were so easy to talk to and I don’t know where I would be without them. . The #HumansOfLancashire series was photographed by @dccarter_ before the global health crisis. Our top priority remains the people we support, and we are working hard to limit the impact on our services so you can still get help. If you or someone you know needs support from their local Shelter services, visit our website to find details on our Get Help page. Huge thanks to @dccarter_, @photohopeth and everyone at Shelter Lancashire ♥️ #shelter #housing #homelessness #charity #photography #family #sleepingrough #stories

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Daniel is now a social media volunteer for Shelter Lancashire, as Hope was before. Hope now works for Shelter Lancashire as an Information Resource Officer. Daniel has promoted the Humans of Lancashire stories and photographs via Shelter’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. The photos have also been printed and turned into posters. ‘It’s nice to click on Instagram and see some of the really supportive comments that have come from members of the public,’ Daniel said.

Emma hopes that these pictures will help Shelter Lancashire recruit volunteers and reach more people with housing problems. ‘We’re hoping that it spreads the word and takes down a few barriers that people might have about whether their issue is supported,’ she said.

The Humans of Lancashire portraits are personal stories about nine individuals that Shelter has helped, but they also represent many other people who have housing problems. ‘There’s many more like them up and down the country,’ Hope said. ‘It helps the public’s perception of what we are doing and how we can help.’

Follow us on Instagram to see more Humans of Lancashire stories. If you need support on housing issues, visit our advice pages or phone your nearest hub.