Welcome to LIFE
LIFE stands for 'Lived Insights from Experience' and is an independent lived experience network.
Our definition of multiple complex needs (and ‘lived experience' within that context) are those who have a personal understanding and direct experience of a combination of the following:
homelessness | experience of the criminal justice system
problematic substance or alcohol addiction | mental ill-health
These issues not only impact the lives of those experiencing them, but those with multiple complex needs also find it more difficult to engage with services due to a total lack of systemic flex. We, as a society, rely on services, which should understand the breadth of the challenges being faced by individuals, and should offer co-ordinated support.
It’s just not right that this failure to respond appropriately to need, leads people into further social exclusion and locked-out of services. Many people end up falling through the cracks or find their experience with services deepens their problems.
Why is LIFE needed?
As a collaborative network, we recognise that there are significant social and economic costs associated with a collective failure to effectively support individuals living with multiple complex needs.
The emergence of LIFE as an independent network, not only reflects the disparate approaches from services, but many of the deeper systemic misconceptions, which often infantilise and disempower us, dismiss our voices and devalue us as human beings.
Because that disempowerment is rooted across multiple complex systems, LIFE is an autonomous body, which is capable of providing a critical overview of what works and more importantly what doesn’t.
Who are we?
LIFE is made up of individuals who have or are currently navigating support from a variety of agencies within York, as well as those who are locked out of support. Our independence means that we are more than simply a service user group.
This enables us to offer genuinely impartial insights into systemic failures within and between statutory, voluntary and private sector interventions.
Although we seek to amplify the voice and representation of those currently utilising support services, our aim is to actively shape improvements by placing those closest to the problem at the heart of the solutions.
This moves us beyond a consultancy service, to a group of individuals who wish to re-design many services through a process of authentic co-production.
How do we achieve our aims?
We are passionate about using our direct experience and autonomy to effect lasting change by working constructively with a broad range of partners, and as such, LIFE is not a support group.
Individuals with direct experience are very often denied the potential to not only shape how services, ultimately intended to meet our needs, are developed, but to fundamentally rethink the methodologies or approaches which underpin the delivery of those.
LIFE offers a safe, dynamic and reflective space where anyone with direct experience can come together to share their perspectives and use their collective wisdom to make changes.
Get in touch with us: contact@matterslife.org