After 22 years of empowering people affected by homelessness, Streetwise Opera needs to raise £120,000 to ensure its survival.

Streetwise Opera is the UK’s only opera company dedicated to working with people who are homeless. While our partners in the homelessness sector provide essentials like shelter and advice, we focus on rebuilding confidence, purpose and hope.

We achieve this by offering life-changing opportunities for some of the most vulnerable people in society, including award-winning productions co-created with world-class artists; weekly singing and creative sessions; skills development; and access to cultural organisations in London, Manchester and Nottingham.

Stand With Streetwise is the most critical appeal we’ve ever launched – our future depends on it.

Here is the difference that your support could make:

£100 – Covers the cost of a support worker for one weekly session, providing tailored assistance before and after, to ensure participants can fully engage.

£500 – Enables three trips to cultural events or performances, giving participants the chance to experience the transformative power of the arts.

£1,000 – Funds a music director to lead a term’s worth of weekly sessions, nurturing participants’ creativity and confidence.

£2,500 – Supports a six-week creative project in a frontline homelessness setting, such as a hostel or day centre, offering wraparound support and meaningful engagement for participants.

£5,000 – Covers the cost of costumes for a full-scale Streetwise Opera production, helping participants shine on stage.

How we rebuild lives

Homelessness strips people of their dignity, confidence and hope – and is rising dramatically. Rough sleeping in London has increased by 18% since the summer of 2023, with record numbers of households living in temporary accommodation in England, up 12.3% annually.

At Streetwise Opera we offer individuals the tools and the motivation to rebuild their lives – to rediscover a sense of purpose and self-esteem through the life-changing power of creativity.

As one participant explains: “This is the one moment in my week when I feel like a human being again, and that keeps me alive”.

Artistically, we’ve never been stronger. In the past two years alone, we’ve performed for over 10,000 people, been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and earned nominations for the prestigious International Opera Awards and the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. Our work continues to challenge perceptions of both opera and homelessness, showing the world how creativity can transform lives.

However, we are operating in an environment increasingly strained by reduced funding and rising costs. As a charity that relies primarily on grants from trusts and foundations, we’re especially exposed to the unprecedented pressure on the funding sector. This is why we urgently need to raise £120,000 to continue offering life-changing creative opportunities for people experiencing homelessness.

Your donation today – whether it’s £10, £100, £1,000 or more – will bring us closer to this goal.

About our work

Streetwise Opera is an award-winning charity that uses opera and creativity to inspire and empower people affected by homelessness. Through regular workshops and performances in London, Manchester and Nottingham, we offer a safe space for people to explore their creativity, build new skills and connect with others.

In 2022-2023, we engaged with 352 individuals and delivered over 5,184 hours of creative workshops, helping people affected by homelessness. 87% of participants reported an increase in self-confidence, and 83% experienced improvements in their overall wellbeing.

What truly sets us apart is how we invite some of the most excluded people in society to take ownership of opera, an art form often seen as reserved for the privileged. By doing so, we not only transform lives, but redefine who opera is for and how society views homelessness.

Now is the time to act. Your donation will help ensure Streetwise Opera can continue empowering people affected by homelessness to rebuild their lives.

Thank you for Standing with Streetwise and for your support.