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15,000 women in NSW are homeless. The UNSEEN multimedia arts project ensures the voices of women who have or are experiencing homelessness are included in conversations that can inform and improve social policy.
We are seeking your support to help fund the UNSEEN project's arts hub which will be activated for one week of each month between March and December 2021. The arts hub consists of a tiny house, unseen car, and couch that will be positioned in a variety of locations across the Sydney CBD to generate public engagement with women who have or are experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, to create greater public awareness of the impact homelessness has had or is having on their lives. By donating to UNSEEN you enable women who have, or are experiencing homelessness, the opportunity to engage with artists and advocates to generate greater public awareness of the impact homelessness has had or is having on their lives. By sharing their stories, the women provide a first-hand insight into the diversity of who finds themselves homeless and why.
Some women experiencing homelessness sleep rough, however, many others remain UNSEEN as they 'couch surf' until they wear out their welcome with friends and family. For others, the only safe place to sleep in their car. The UNSEEN chrome car, with images of the women seating in the car on the windows and windscreen, reflects the hidden nature of their experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity. For these women, the only safe place to live with their children. However, too often they are told to 'move on' by people living in nearby houses. The UNSEEN chrome couch reveals the invisibility of women who experience housing insecurity and "couch surf" at the homes of friends and family - hoping to not wear out their welcome. The UNSEEN chrome tiny house highlights how the Australian housing market lacks affordable rental housing and the tightly targeted social housing with long waiting lists.
“Sleeping rough is an experience that no one should have to go through.” - Amy
“I wish with all my heart that all Muslim women live a beautiful, calm and comfortable life, far from cruelty and domestic violence - and that the voice of love, hope and equality reach the farthest place on earth.” - Noor
“I never want to be homeless again.” - Susan
“Every woman: a daughter, a mother, sister, auntie, grandmother. We are not anonymous statistics. I am Jai “ - Jai.
“It's hard and rough. It's cold and lonely and hard to find a safe place to sleep. With kids it's even harder cause they have to be clean and tidy for school. Hard to wash clothes, shower and eat. I have been through this myself.” – Michelle
“Being homeless is scary” – Lani
“I think the idea of homelessness usually brings up images of someone sleeping rough on a park bench or lining up at a street van, because this is what we have seen. But this wasn’t the case for me and isn’t the case for so many women. It’s an incredibly isolating place to be, functioning day to day. I spent most nights in a library until it closed just to feel safe and a part of a community,” – Fiona
“The hardest part of living as a homeless person for me was not having that safety or privacy. There is something exhausting about always being in public, with the other people a constant presence.” - Emily
Older women are the fastest growing group of homeless people in Australia. In NSW, between 2011 and 2016 the number of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness increased by 48% and the number aged between 65 and 74 experiencing homelessness increased by 78%. This number will increase again with the negative impact of COVID-19 on women lives.
FACT SHEET:
1) Older women are the fastest growing group of homeless people in Australia. In NSW, between 2011 and 2016 the number of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness increased by 48% and the number aged between 65 and 74 experiencing homelessness increased by 78%. This number will increase again with the negative impact of COVID-19 on women lives.
2) Domestic violence is the main reason for women’s homelessness. 41% of people seeking help from homelessness services do so because of domestic violence - overwhelmingly, they are women and children.
3) Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women face barriers in accessing and understanding services, and there is a lack of specific funding to assist them.
4) Many women with disability live in poverty and there is a lack of affordable and suitable housing options available for people with a range of disabilities. Services may also not be accessible or adequately resourced for women with disabilities.
5) First Nations people are 3.2% of the Australian population yet are 27% of those using homelessness services, with twice as many adult women as adult men using services. Severe shortages of crisis and long-term housing, especially in regional and remote areas, mean these women and their children are routinely turned away, are unable to access help and may have no option but to return to an unsafe situation.
We are seeking your support to help fund the UNSEEN project's arts hub which will be activated for one week of each month between March and December 2021. The arts hub consists of a tiny house, unseen car, and couch that will be positioned in a variety of locations across the Sydney CBD to generate public engagement with women who have or are experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, to create greater public awareness of the impact homelessness has had or is having on their lives. By donating to UNSEEN you enable women who have, or are experiencing homelessness, the opportunity to engage with artists and advocates to generate greater public awareness of the impact homelessness has had or is having on their lives. By sharing their stories, the women provide a first-hand insight into the diversity of who finds themselves homeless and why.
Some women experiencing homelessness sleep rough, however, many others remain UNSEEN as they 'couch surf' until they wear out their welcome with friends and family. For others, the only safe place to sleep in their car. The UNSEEN chrome car, with images of the women seating in the car on the windows and windscreen, reflects the hidden nature of their experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity. For these women, the only safe place to live with their children. However, too often they are told to 'move on' by people living in nearby houses. The UNSEEN chrome couch reveals the invisibility of women who experience housing insecurity and "couch surf" at the homes of friends and family - hoping to not wear out their welcome. The UNSEEN chrome tiny house highlights how the Australian housing market lacks affordable rental housing and the tightly targeted social housing with long waiting lists.
“Sleeping rough is an experience that no one should have to go through.” - Amy
“I wish with all my heart that all Muslim women live a beautiful, calm and comfortable life, far from cruelty and domestic violence - and that the voice of love, hope and equality reach the farthest place on earth.” - Noor
“I never want to be homeless again.” - Susan
“Every woman: a daughter, a mother, sister, auntie, grandmother. We are not anonymous statistics. I am Jai “ - Jai.
“It's hard and rough. It's cold and lonely and hard to find a safe place to sleep. With kids it's even harder cause they have to be clean and tidy for school. Hard to wash clothes, shower and eat. I have been through this myself.” – Michelle
“Being homeless is scary” – Lani
“I think the idea of homelessness usually brings up images of someone sleeping rough on a park bench or lining up at a street van, because this is what we have seen. But this wasn’t the case for me and isn’t the case for so many women. It’s an incredibly isolating place to be, functioning day to day. I spent most nights in a library until it closed just to feel safe and a part of a community,” – Fiona
“The hardest part of living as a homeless person for me was not having that safety or privacy. There is something exhausting about always being in public, with the other people a constant presence.” - Emily
Older women are the fastest growing group of homeless people in Australia. In NSW, between 2011 and 2016 the number of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness increased by 48% and the number aged between 65 and 74 experiencing homelessness increased by 78%. This number will increase again with the negative impact of COVID-19 on women lives.
FACT SHEET:
1) Older women are the fastest growing group of homeless people in Australia. In NSW, between 2011 and 2016 the number of women aged 55 and over experiencing homelessness increased by 48% and the number aged between 65 and 74 experiencing homelessness increased by 78%. This number will increase again with the negative impact of COVID-19 on women lives.
2) Domestic violence is the main reason for women’s homelessness. 41% of people seeking help from homelessness services do so because of domestic violence - overwhelmingly, they are women and children.
3) Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women face barriers in accessing and understanding services, and there is a lack of specific funding to assist them.
4) Many women with disability live in poverty and there is a lack of affordable and suitable housing options available for people with a range of disabilities. Services may also not be accessible or adequately resourced for women with disabilities.
5) First Nations people are 3.2% of the Australian population yet are 27% of those using homelessness services, with twice as many adult women as adult men using services. Severe shortages of crisis and long-term housing, especially in regional and remote areas, mean these women and their children are routinely turned away, are unable to access help and may have no option but to return to an unsafe situation.