No experience of homelessness is the same. That's why we're giving people space to tell their stories

Last year, Big Issue teamed up with Cardboard Citizens for a groundbreaking series of filmed monologues called More Than One Story to show how homelessness has a wide variety of causes. Cardboard Citizens artistic director Chris Sonnex writes about the launch of the next chapter.

When you think about homelessness or poverty, what image comes to mind? A figure sleeping rough on a high street? A queue at a food bank? Maybe a headline you’ve seen, or a statistic. And while those things might be true, they are only one part of the story, because no experience of poverty or homelessness is ever just one thing. It’s always more than that.

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At Cardboard Citizens, we believe that people who’ve lived through these challenges are the ones who should be telling those stories, in all their nuance, struggle, humour, resilience, rage and joy. 

More Than One Story is a movement to change the narrative of homelessness and poverty. We launched it last year as a short film series in partnership with Big Issue and Black Apron Entertainment. The response from audiences, participants and our community was incredible. But we knew we weren’t finished.

Now, we’re taking the next step with the creation of a groundbreaking collection of new writing and launch of a national artist network. More Than One Story: The Anthology is a bold new project inviting writers with lived experience of homelessness and poverty to submit original monologues for a published collection that will showcase the creative brilliance too often left out of the conversation. It’s a call to action, not just for the writers, but for the creative industry to actively listen.

In the UK today, more than 16 million people are defined as living in poverty – that’s one in four. And rates of homelessness are rising sharply. These aren’t just numbers. They’re our neighbours, our communities, our artists, our storytellers. And too often, their experiences are either erased or spoken about from a distance or even worse, by those with no real understanding of the reality. Meanwhile, the creative industries continue to be dominated by those from privileged backgrounds. Less than one in 10 arts workers come from lower socioeconomic groups. That’s not just a diversity issue, that’s a
creativity crisis, and it means that we’re missing out on powerful, radical and essential perspectives.

More Than One Story: The Anthology aims to redress that imbalance. Writers whose monologues are selected will receive a commissioning fee, professional support, publication and a spot at our launch event. But crucially, every single person who submits will receive feedback, because this is about nurturing a movement, not just producing a product.

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We want monologues that cut through the data sets, political papers and statistics to challenge assumptions and make people feel something. They can be angry, poetic, funny, painful, surreal. They can be poems, rants, songs, even manifestos. What matters is that they’re authentic to the lived experience. 

We’ll also be launching a new Artist Network to create an ongoing space for connection, collaboration and support among artists.

Homelessness isn’t just about rough sleeping. It includes sofa-surfing, temporary accommodation, overcrowded housing, and the impossible choices that come from having no safety net. Poverty is not just about income – it’s about lack of access, of opportunity, of stability. It’s the exhaustion of never having enough. It’s the trauma that lingers long after the crisis has passed. But art can help you feel part of a community, not alone, enable you to heal and for others to understand the world better. 

I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people are given the space to tell their story on their terms. Confidence grows. Audiences listen differently. Assumptions get dismantled. Doors begin to open. Expression through art will always become a force for change.

This is not about charity. This is about culture. This is about a fundamental belief that everyone deserves to have their voice heard and that our shared culture is richer, more honest, and more powerful when it includes us all.

So if you’re a writer with experience of homelessness or poverty, I urge you to take this opportunity. Submit your monologue. Be part of the anthology. And if you’re not a writer, but you’re someone who cares about equity, creativity, and change – support this work, share it, and most of all, listen.

Because this isn’t just a collection of stories.

It’s a movement.

It’s a diary of our times.

And it’s long overdue.

Submissions for More Than One Story: The Anthology are open until 30 June. Head to Cardboard Citizens for more information and how to apply.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.