Ignored, overlooked, invisible. The homeless are so often denied a voice. But Professor Nadine Holdsworth is working hard to change this.

A member of our Theatre and Performance Studies department, Professor Holdsworth has been engaging with Coventry’s homeless population.

Through creativity and co-production, she has been developing innovative ways to improve the self-confidence and social connections of people living on the streets. She is also working hard to tackle misconceptions about homelessness and, ultimately, drive a shift in public policy.

Art plays a key role in all of this. Each initiative is designed, in the professor’s words, to “set in motion the mechanisms, culture and skills to enable people who are or have been homeless to participate in citizen democracy.”

Take Homeless Monopoly, for example. Developed in collaboration with Coventry University's Disruptive Media Learning Lab and the homeless charity Coventry Cyrenians, this new version of the iconic board game brings to life the harsh realities of homelessness.

Instead of Mayfair and Marylebone Station, players pass through scenarios such as bereavement, addiction and severe weather. The game is being used in schools, colleges and community events across the city, in workshops hosted by people who’ve faced life on the streets. The game presents the realities of homelessness and the struggles of getting the key to a place of your own.

This is just one initiative in a series of projects running since 2019, which included a collaboration with local artist Frances Yeung, funded by Coventry Creates, on a creative toolkit to allow schools and community groups to explore homelessness.

Meanwhile, Professor Holdsworth has helped local community theatre group, Underground Lights, to explore how they work with people who have experienced homelessness, mental health issues and social isolation.

And Nadine has also been actively involved in the HOME: Arts and Homelessness festival which was staged as part of the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. She was a member of the festival's steering committee and undertook research that explored the impact of the co-created festival for people who had experienced homelessness in the city.

Each project, in its own way, delivered essential self-expression to people who feel utterly ignored and disenfranchised by society. Professor Holdsworth is clear that this “diverse set of creative forms can foster positive experiences of self-discovery, affirmation and enhanced wellbeing."