The exhibition, staged in an English perennial meadow at the museum’s site in Finsbury Park, will show that how we think about homelessness today comes from ideas that were created long ago. When people talk about the criminalisation of homelessness, it’s usually the Vagrancy Act of 1824 that is the focus. But there is much more to this story.

Researchers at Museum of Homelessness have identified the Homelessness Big Bang in the early 1600s and the exhibition starts there. Criminal explores the intertwined histories of people made homeless and transported from England, Ireland and Africa to the early plantations. Visitors will be taken on a journey exploring land enclosure, rebellion in the colonies, Elizabethan Rogue literature, Victorian institutions, resistance movements and modern-day disinformation.

The museum’s interior will be transformed into a space of resistance, with Surfing Sofas Publishing House offering people an alternative to social media. Examples of how people are challenging homelessness and housing injustice today will provide inspiration.

The rise of the far right all over the world is being matched by increasing rates of homelessness. This exhibition matters today because criminalisation as a ‘solution’ to homelessness has never gone away. Right now, in 2026, it is ramping up in many places on earth. In 2025, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade advocated for homeless people to be executed via involuntary lethal injection. We have put this exhibition on as a cautionary tale and an act of resistance.

Crucially, we will also look at how people have resisted these criminalisation. Featuring some of the UK’s foremost activists and artists, Criminal will give both the facts and the feelings and will tell you what is really going on both in the past and now.

Exhibition Design:

The crew, Matt Bonner, Studio Boloz, Puck Studio

With thanks to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Linbury Trust and Oak Foundation for making this work possible

Criminal: An Untold History of Homelessness, Resistance and Survival will be open on:

→ Thursdays 12:30 - 16:30

→ Fridays 12:30 - 16:30

→ Saturdays 12:30 - 16:30

The exhibition is free to attend, with no booking required for individuals or groups of less than 8 people.

We have two ways to see the show as a group:

Option 1:

Thursday, Friday, Saturday during open season 

Visiting the museum during our summer season opening hours (Thursday-Saturday 12:30 - 16:30) is free. However for groups of 8 or more we do require you to pre-book, so that we can manage visitor flow. 

“Spending time with MoH is a balm for the soul.” - Visitor, 2026

MOH does not take government funding, and we rely on the support of individuals and trusts and foundations to keep our independent research and community action work going. Anyone can donate online, or can donate whilst on-site at MOH.

To book for a group for the new exhibition during our Summer open season 2026 please reply to this email, or contact bookings@museumofhomelessness.org.

Option 2:

Mondays, Wednesdays or Sundays during our open summer season - special booking

The whole experience: the museum is available to reserve for private group bookings for up to 20 people to experience the new exhibition and a 1 hour session, where one of our cherished storytellers will share objects from the Museum’s collection. 

This option works well for away days or student groups. You get the benefit of a deeper dive into the collection and stories of homelessness that centre lived experience. 

“A highly original and moving cultural experience, using seemingly mundane objects to share authentic and moving stories of tough lives” - Visitor, 2025

To book for a group for the whole MoH experience and find out more about pricing, please reply to this email, or contact bookings@museumofhomelessness.org.