What is Voices of Homelessness?

Voices of Homelessness (VOH) is a team of Rhode Islanders with lived experience of homelessness who use storytelling, education, and advocacy to raise awareness and advance systemic change.

VOH speakers share their stories and perspectives in classrooms, community forums, legislative hearings, conferences, trainings, panel discussions, rallies, and public events across Rhode Island. Through lived expertise, speakers help audiences better understand the realities of homelessness, challenge stigma and misconceptions, and inspire collective action toward housing justice.

VOH believes that people directly impacted by homelessness should be leading the conversations and solutions that shape policy, services, and public understanding.

Unlock a Powerful Conversation: Invite a VOH Speaker

Are you looking to bring a thoughtful, impactful conversation to your classroom, organization, workplace, or community event?

VOH speakers offer authentic insight into the realities of homelessness and housing instability through personal storytelling, community education, and facilitated dialogue. Presentations are designed to foster empathy, deepen understanding, and encourage meaningful engagement around housing and homelessness.

Why Host This Speaker?

Center Lived Experience
Hear directly from individuals who have experienced homelessness and can speak to both personal and systemic barriers.  

Promote Understanding
Help audiences move beyond stereotypes and build a more informed, compassionate understanding of homelessness.  

Encourage Community Action
Inspire participants to think critically about housing justice and ways to support meaningful change.  

Enhance Educational Opportunities
VOH presentations complement discussions around public health, social justice, poverty, equity, housing, and civic engagement.  

What to Expect

Programming may include:

• Personal storytelling and lived experience sharing
• Discussion of barriers, systems, and pathways to stability
• Audience Q&A and facilitated dialogue
• Action-oriented conversation about community solutions and advocacy

Presentations can be tailored to fit the needs of your audience, event, or classroom.

Honoraria

VOH speakers are compensated for their time, preparation, lived expertise, and emotional labor.

We ask hosting organizations to provide a minimum honorarium of $50 per speaker whenever possible. Additional compensation is welcomed and appreciated, particularly for longer presentations, trainings, panels, or multi-speaker engagements.

If cost is a barrier, please still reach out. We are committed to making these conversations accessible to community groups and educational spaces whenever feasible.

Hosting a VOH speaker is an opportunity to create dialogue, deepen understanding, and support community-driven change.

Please complete the booking form below to begin scheduling a speaker engagement.