Category

• Fully Validated Effective Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Prevention
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Rough sleeping
• Homelessness
• Co-production
• Legislative theatre
• Sharing power

Aim

Rough Sleeping in Coventry used Legislative Theatre to raise awareness of rough sleeping and homelessness with local decision makers and the wider community of Coventry. It also sought to embed a participatory approach across Coventry City Council (CCC).

Summary

Rough Sleeping in Coventry was a project commissioned by CCC who wished to co-create their rough sleeping strategy with those who have lived experience of homelessness and rough sleeping. Partnering with Arts Homelessness International and Katy Rubin - Legislative Theatre practitioner, they worked to integrate co-production across CCC’s work.

What difference does it make?

Rough Sleeping in Coventry has not only resulted in the production of a new rough sleeping strategy guided by people with lived experience that the local council have implemented, it has also ensured that Coventry City Council continue to work more generally in a co-produced way.

Key take-aways

• Legislative Theatre is co-production to identify and deliberate social issues and can result in changes of policy.
• Legislative Theatre can be easily and cheaply replicated. Providing tools that can be used in different settings about different policies.
• It is important, where possible to utilise the expertise of partner organisations. Reflecting on the process with them refines the process for its next application.

 

Organisations

Katy Rubin (independent Legislative Theatre Practitioner), Arts Homelessness International and Coventry City Council

Location

Coventry, England

The legislative theatre process began in Sept 2021 followed by the event in autumn. Six months later the strategy was produced which met with CCC’s external deadline to address homelessness in the city. However, the scrutiny group arising from the process is still active today (recorded early 2024).

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