Why we exist

The Lived Experience Collective Great Yarmouth is a diverse and expanding community that brings together individuals from a variety of backgrounds all with lived experience of homelessness. The Collective is supported by a small staff team from Herring House Trust. This community comes together to learn, connect, and drive lasting change through the principles of co-production.

Our approach is centred around active collaboration and participation. We deliver services to members of our community in need, we provide evaluation services using our own bespoke toolkit, we offer training opportunities and presentations, all whilst involving our community members in the design and delivery of research and evaluation projects.

Through these efforts, we ensure that those with lived experience are at the heart of the work we do.

Key initiatives include:

Brew Crew

A weekly meet-up that offers support and connection for those who are homeless or in need, fostering a sense of community and belonging.

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Critial Moments - The Lived Experience Collective Great Yarmouth

Critical Moments

This programme creates a space for people with lived experience of homelessness to engage in co-production, share their stories, and learn from one another in a supportive environment.

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Research Collective

The Lived Experience Research Collective is a group of researchers in Great Yarmouth who have personal experience with services in the area. They have created a toolkit to help evaluate these services to share their findings effectively.

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We make sure our actions match our values in everything we do. We work together with our community to create our policies, practices, and priorities, so that decisions reflect the needs of those who join us. This approach helps our members and also shows others how co-production can work.

By sticking to these values, we aim to create real, positive change in our community and inspire others to do the same.

Members of the Lived Experience Collective Great Yarmouth, who are people with living, lived or learnt experience are now regularly working alongside researchers, service providers (particularly those from housing, homelessness and drug and alcohol services), charities and healthcare providers – working together to improve lives. We pride ourselves on supporting one another within the Collective, respecting each other and recognising when one of us needs some extra help. This is co-production done well, and we have experience of this work being transformative for many of us. However, when done poorly, it can strain relationships and cause lasting damage that is difficult to mend.