A FILM aiming to break down the stigma surrounding homeless people in Oxfordshire will premiere tonight at an Oxford cinema.

Not Just Homeless has been made by homeless people, students and staff at charities Aspire Oxford and Oxford Homeless Pathways.

The film, showing at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Jeune Street, off Cowley Road, at 5pm, features the stories of five people who have at one point been homeless in the county.

Chief operation officer of Aspire Oxford Paul Roberts said: “It’s important we create more opportunities that give local people affected by homelessness the chance to tell their stories from their point of view.

“It will mean that together we can break down stigmas, challenge stereotypes about what it means to be homeless and encourage a collective and inclusive response to the problem.”

The employment charity creates work placements for local people who are homeless or have a history of substance misuse or offending.

It also runs weekly job clubs in Blackbird Leys, Barton, Littlemore and Wood Farm.

Oxford has been flagged up this year as one of the most unaffordable places to live in the UK, with house prices running far ahead of average earnings and the cost of renting rooms also soaring.

And with major cuts ahead in welfare and benefit budgets, Mr Roberts said the film was even more important.

He said: “This is a powerful film that will challenge your preconceptions about homelessness.

“It comes at a time when many hundreds of Oxford’s low-income residents are facing an increasing vulnerability to homelessness due to sky rocketing rents and bills, and draconian benefit cuts.”

There is no ticket price for the screening but people who come along are encouraged to donate to both charities.

Oxford Homeless Pathways chief executive Lesley Dewhurst said the project was as beneficial for those involved as it will be for the viewing public.

She said: “When people arrive in our services, it is as if they have a label stuck to their foreheads saying ‘I’m homeless...and worthless.’.

“We are committed to helping homeless people identify themselves as being the people they want to be, not what society perceives them as.

“This video project has really helped the participants explore this subject.”

Oxford Homeless Pathways provides support for homeless and recently homeless people over the age of 22, encouraging them to take up training and education as well as fighting to ensure other service providers best meet the needs of homeless people.