After a year-long project of co-production, led by Salford social enterprise Unlimited Potential, that produced the ground-breaking magazine ‘Your Good Home”, young people from Salford who made it all possible made their way to Parliament for an inspiring presentation at the Households in Temporary Accommodation All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Following the successful launch earlier this year, Rebecca Long-Bailey MP invited the group to Parliament to present their work to MPs civil servants, councillors, and other organisations at the APPG last week, to highlight the benefits that co-production can deliver for people in need of a safe and secure home, and to give recommendations for improving temporary accommodation and the lives of those living in them. The ‘Your Good Home’ project brought together young people from across Salford to share their lived experience of Salford’s housing system, with key senior decision makers from across Salford, with a specific focus on the housing challenges faced by them and other vulnerable communities in the city. As well as young people from across Salford, Unlimited Potential brought together representatives from Salford City Council, For Housing, and Salix Homes (who all helped fund the group’s trip to Parliament). The co-production group worked together over 12 months to develop on all their insights, with some members of the group having faced homelessness, long-term unemployment, and other hardships. Together they were able to shine a light on the importance of having a home that reflects stability, security, and dignity. The group, motivated by their varied lived experiences, envisioned a future where everyone can take pride in their homes, create lasting memories, and feel a sense of community. The ‘Your Good Home’ magazine offers guidance on building that home, through expert advice, creative ideas for home improvement on a budget, and support through the welfare system. The invitation to present their work at the Households in Temporary Accommodation APPG is worthy recognition for these young people, giving them the opportunity to highlight the importance of amplifying the voices of those who, like them, have faced tough times at a young age. The group’s work will now go beyond Salford, to help others who will experience similar difficulties, hopefully improve the issues that they faced, and bring lasting change for people in Salford and across the country. Speaking about the group’s visit to Parliament, Rebecca Long-Bailey said: “I was so proud to welcome to Parliament such an incredible group of people from Salford, who had put their heart and soul into co-producing the ‘Your Good Home’ magazine. Their hard work on the project had them delivering their ideas and recommendations to MPs, councils and housing groups, who will take their work away to help improve the issues they are experiencing with temporary accommodation in their town and cities, up and down the country.” On visiting Parliament and presenting their work to MPs, members of the group said: "This project gave us such confidence and drive to achieve something real. We wanted to help others who were going through similar problems that we’d had, but also trying to help give us a home we can be proud of, to feel safe in, and introduce our kids to. We’ve all been through different things in life, but we’re just chasing little bits of happiness where we can. We’ve all not had a lot of that in our lives.”
