The Museum of Homelessness is to open to the public in Finsbury Park on May 24, after securing a permanent home in the area in 2022.
After years of moving between different locations in north London, the team - led by founders husband and wife Matt and Jess Turtle - secured a 10-year community lease from Haringey Council for Manor House Lodge.
For the official opening of the museum, an exhibit has been launched called How to Survive the Apocalypse. It will remain open to the public until the end of November and can be booked for various performance slots with capacity for roughly 25 people each.
The team have focused on the launch for months but have continued their efforts in campaigning, which involves talks or workshops hosted by the centre, along with regular advice surgeries and gardening sessions.Co-founder Matt Turtle explained: “So we do direct work and campaigning on the one hand, and the educational work on the other - such as storytelling through objects.
“The people who give these objects are not just homeless individuals, but officers, activists, politicians and GPs, as well as people who might have experienced homelessness or are currently experiencing homelessness. We're bringing in things such as a prosthetic leg or a black plastic bag and these are all objects which show that every story is different.”
“Hopefully people can learn a lot, but I hope people can continue to engage with the museum after the exhibit too,” he said. “I think homelessness should be a year round consideration in people's minds, as often it's something that people just think about at Christmas.”
Mr Turtle emphasised the importance of people engaging with the space, adding “it’s not going to be a museum that attracts hundreds and hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. And it's not quantity for us, it is the quality and the depth of engagement that we're looking for.”
For the latest updates on the museum, including its opening exhibit, visit: museumofhomelessness.org
