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The Book of Homelessness is a graphic novel created by people who are homeless

"Through my experience of homelessness I quickly realised that life does not always give you what you want, but it does give you what you need to be the best version of yourself," says Amalia. One of a group of participants from hostels, shelters and temporary accommodation who was invited to creative workshops run by homelessness charity Accumulate this year, Amalia's work can be seen in a remarkable release, The Book of Homelessness.

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Watercolour painting by Amalia showing an adult and child standing together, the adult wearing a dark coat over a red top and the child in a dark jacket, against a cream background

An anthology of stories and drawings created by people affected by homelessness, laying bare their own lives and experiences, this is the first time that a book like this has been published. The compilation of drawings, texts, visuals and poems is a revealing insight into this marginalised group, making what may be the world's first graphic novel created by people who are homeless.

"Through the Accumulate workshops, they helped me to tap into an energy of creation and to use my talents to create pieces of art and poetry for the book," continues Amalia. "The sessions helped me to grow and transform and heal from domestic abuse, from being homeless and unstable. I have no destination, but I am blessed enough and happy to have the journey and to be on the path to my destiny and to achieve all my goals."

Speaking about the book launch, the founder of Accumulate Marice Cumber said: "This is a beautiful book that shows the complexities of homelessness, and what causes it, and the struggles that people have undertaken to succeed and flourish.

"The project has been a long time in the making, complicated further by Covid. We started creative workshops for our participants in January 2020, funded by our crowdfunding campaign to make the whole thing possible. I'm so proud of everyone who has taken part and let us into their lives in this visual way."

All profits from The Book of Homelessness are shared with its authors and Accumulate so it can continue to provide creative workshops for people who are homeless. Visit its website to purchase.

Black and white comic strip showing a person holding a "Spare Change" sign growing increasingly cheerful as a dog appears and comforts them, with the final panel showing the dog's happiness makes all the difference
Illustration of a figure with dark skin wearing a red head wrap and black garment, rendered in watercolour with a neutral background
Two columns of black text on a mauve background with botanical illustrations, describing a traumatic experience of losing family members to violence during tea at home and missing a sister's death while unaware
Vibrant collage artwork featuring black and white photographs, coloured geometric shapes, handwritten text about homelessness and rainbows, created for The Book of Homelessness graphic novel
Black silhouette of a winged cat sitting on a windowsill framed by red curtains, looking out at a white sky with a yellow exterior wall below
Sketch-style illustration of a person in a hoodie with text describing how Tayo is rebuilding his life after homelessness with support from volunteer-run centres
A child's drawing showing a woman sitting on a bench in the snow, with two children nearby, Victoria Station, vehicles and London buses on a street below
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