Counting the dead and making it count

Hi everyone, 

It’s winter in the UK – cold, dark and rainy. We’ve just survived what was hailed as the storm of the century. I cycle to work most days, often in the rain, getting into the office with wet trousers and shoes and feeling sorry for myself. Thankfully, I’ve commandeered an electric heater at my desk to dry off and stay warm.

But my complaints are petty. My cycle from a warm home takes just half an hour – from South to North London – and I could take the train if I coughed up. I have a home where I can retreat and stay dry. Others – too many others –don’t.

Back in 2018, my newsroom published a project called Dying Homeless, a piece of investigative journalism that still makes waves today. It was a simple yet powerful idea: Maeve McClenaghan and Charles Boutard counted the number of people who died homeless in the UK. 

Before this work, no single authority logged where and when homeless people were dying. Without this data, individuals were forgotten, and there was no way to analyse where help was most urgently needed. After the project, the Office of National Statistics, the UK’s data boffins, agreed to start recording homeless deaths. The team then handed the work to the Museum of Homelessness to continue ensuring people are remembered.

I spoke to Matt Turtle, co-founder and co-director of the Museum of Homelessness. It does far more than a traditional museum. “It’s not really a museum of looking, you know, cardboard boxes in display cases. No, no. It’s ended up being a much more dynamic, moving museum,” he said. The museum, now permanently based in Finsbury Park, hosts events, exhibitions, and campaigns while researching homelessness issues.

Matt spoke about the sharp focus on death in their work. “If you’ve been affected by homelessness, you know death is just a more present part of your reality,” he said. “The museum is a place where people can remember those they’ve lost.”

Investigating these deaths is an unending task. It involves attending court hearings, funerals, and speaking to people on the ground. As Matt put it, “it could continue indefinitely.”

The social fabric of the UK feels increasingly frayed. Economic prospects are grim, and funding for services that support homeless people is stretched. The Daily Star hasn’t yet begun live-streaming a lettuce next to a framed photograph of our chancellor, but Rachel Reeves’ tenure already looks like it could have a short shelf life.

In tough times, the work of people like Matt and organisations like the Museum of Homelessness becomes even more vital. The project Dying Homeless showed how journalism can spark meaningful action, but the ongoing work of remembering and advocating for those without a voice continues.

And there’s some exciting news: the Museum of Homelessness is recruiting for an investigator to do exactly that – investigate and count homeless people who have died. So if you’d like to get involved, see the job ad on their site. The deadline is 7 February so if you are interested, make sure you put in an application ASAP. 

“I’m a poet whose work mostly focuses around themes of homelessness and mental health. I’m mostly inspired by my life experiences, interactions with people, and the lack of understanding towards the many forms of homelessness.

I don’t feel much when I perform. I kinda just go into my own world and seize the moment. But I do feel a crap load of nerves before and after a performance. I think art can sometimes have a more digestible way of communicating things to the mass majority, rather than spreadsheets, graphs and text-heavy reports. 

My first time working with the Museum of Homelessness was in 2017 for their “State of the Nation” exhibition at the Tate Modern. The artist David Tovey was also part of the show, so he asked if I could open his segment of the exhibition with a poem and I did. The relationship with the museum blossomed from there and we worked on one or two things together after this. 

Once the museum got their building in Finsbury Park they got in touch and asked if I'd be up for being their poet in residence, which was an amazing experience and led to us creating an album called Objects and Concepts. It’s based on objects the museum has in their collection as well as the work that the Museum of Homelessness does.

Last year, I was commissioned by the Royal Foundation to create something that would be part of their exhibition in the Saatchi Gallery for Prince William’s project called Homewards, so I created an album called Spectra of Displacement and I plan to release it later this year. I will also be taking on the role as poet in residence with another homelessness organisation this year and possibly working on another album with them, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I'll create during this artist residency.”

~ Lucy here: I’d highly recommend having a listen to his work and keeping an eye out for when his new album drops.~

Thank you as always for reading. This week I’ve reached 1,000 subscribers, which is a huge success. Thank you for being one of them (don’t tell the others, but you’re my favourite). I never thought we’d get here and it’s so great to know that so many of you care about investigative journalism.  

I know I always say this but I love hearing from you, so do get in touch if you hear of anything cool happening as a result of journalism. 

Thanks for reading. See you next time!