Projects investigate issues of housing and homelessness

Southern Cross University researchers have teamed up with Lismore City Council and Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) to investigate ideas of home and issues of housing and homelessness.

Two public events will be held during National Homeless Persons’ Week from August 1 to 7. The events will be launched at the Lismore City Hall, on Wednesday, June 29, 2.30-4pm.

The first event is part of a partnership between the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) and NORPA, which will evolve over the next two years and culminate in a public performance developed around the theme of ‘Home’.

Associate Professor Rebecca Coyle, who is coordinating this activity, said all interested community members and stakeholders were invited to the launch to learn more about the ‘Home’ project.

“During National Homeless Persons’ Week we will be installing a ‘film set’ in the SCU next Art Gallery in Magellan Street and asking people to come and either act out or speak about their feelings about ‘home’. The theme for this year is ‘My Address: diversity in homelessness’, which suits our region well,” Professor Coyle said.

“Our media students will be recording and then editing this material under the guidance of our media studies coordinator, Dr Grayson Cooke. Then some of this work will be shown at the next Gallery in November.”

Julian Louis, artistic director for NORPA, said it was exciting to be partnering with the University on this project.

“We are interested in continuing our development of innovative and engaging projects that have a strong connection to the culture of the Northern Rivers. This project will make connections with the community and ideas of home in regional Australia. It’s a unique partnership between research and contemporary arts practice,” Mr Louis said.

“The arts can play a significant role in creating dialogue between the whole community and an issue - it can put emotion and voice to something we are concerned about but don't know how to engage with. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding around homelessness and, through this multi-platform project, we aim to get closer to the stories and the issue.”

The second event planned for National Homeless Persons’ Week is the Women’s Housing Needs Forum, on Thursday, August 4, in partnership with Lismore City Council and hosted by Lismore Mayor, Cr Jenny Dowell. A panel of researchers and relevant service providers will discuss women’s housing needs.

The forum is coordinated by Dr Yvonne Hartman and Dr Sandy Darab who are currently researching the housing needs of single, older women in the Northern Rivers.

“There is a big gap in our knowledge about the housing needs of women in regional areas and particularly groups such as sole parents and single, older women who don’t own their own home,” Dr Hartman said.

“This forum will help to raise public awareness of women’s housing needs and we hope to initiate partnerships between all the stakeholders to address this looming problem.”

Dr Darab said: “Whilst women who sleep rough are in the most need, there is also a large population of women who are less visible but who are at risk of becoming homeless due to the crisis in housing affordability in the Northern Rivers region. This forum will help to highlight the problems we will face in the future and generate some positive initiatives.”

Information and presentations about both events and how people can be involved will be provided at the launch event to which all members of the public are invited.

The launch is being held in the Fountain Room, Lismore City Hall, June 29, from 2.30pm to 4pm.

Information about the projects is available from: ‘Home’ project - Charlotte Walker, home@norpa.org.au, on 6622 0300, or ‘Women At Risk’ - Dr Yvonne Hartman, yvonne.hartman@scu.edu.au,66203043.

Photo: Associate Professor Rebecca Coyle.