Voices of Experience - how people who drink on the streets can make positive changes in their lives

This research focused on persistent street drinkers – people who drink very heavily in public places ‘for many hours on many days’ and are poorly motivated to stop drinking.

Street drinkers are deeply socially excluded and may experience physical and mental health problems, use illegal drugs, be at risk of arrest and be at risk of assault. There is innovative practice around working with this group, from specialist hostels to enforcement measures. However, little research has been conducted into the experiences or needs of street drinkers. This research project focuses on street drinkers who have made positive changes in their lives, and aims to help practitioners, commissioners and policymakers hear and learn from the ‘voices of experience’ of current and former street drinkers.

This research is based on in-depth interviews with 61 current and former street drinkers. It asks:
• Is change possible for people who drink on the streets?
• What changes would people who drink on the streets like to make?
• How can services providers, commissioners and policymakers support street drinkers to make those changes?

There are three reports:

Voices of experience: summary report

This report summarises our findings. It is aimed at practitioners, commissioners and others who work with street drinkers or develop policies which affect them.

Voices of experience: stories of change

This report is aimed at people who drink on the streets. It shares people's stories of making positive changes after street drinking, and we hope it will inspire people to make changes. It is also a resource that practitioners can use in key work sessions to discuss some of the issues that affect many street drinkers.

Voices of experience: full report

This report presents our findings in detail. It is aimed at practitioners, commissioners and policy makers who work closely with street drinkers or have a direct responsibility for meeting their needs.

To request hard copies of the summary or 'stories of change' reports, please email research@broadwaylondon.org.

September 2011