Origami houses highlight homelessness

HAVEN Home Safe’s Bendigo staff made a major contribution to a Victorian Homelessness Network initiative raising awareness of the state’s social housing deficit.

Thousands of locally-made origami houses were among about 6000 displayed on the steps of State Parliament on 31 July as part of the VHN campaign for State and Federal governments to build at least 60,000 social housing properties.

The origami houses displayed in Melbourne represented 10 per cent of the current social housing waiting list and the display was designed to demonstrate the magnitude of even a small part of the shortage.

The Bendigo team folded a total of 5749 houses with the participation of the Bendigo Regional Women’s Shed, Golden Oaks Aged Care, Heathcote Community House and the wider Heathcote community, the HCCB Heathcote Leadership luncheon, Youth Climate Network and MADCOW.

“Folding the origami houses provided people with a meaningful activity and an opportunity for our staff to connect with the community,” Haven Home Safe head of engagement and support services Rachel Gellatly said.

“The activity opened the channel to have important conversations about homelessness and housing insecurity which, across a lifetime, impacts more people than many realise.

“It broadened the overall understanding of what homelessness may look like, changing perspectives people have held toward people experiencing homelessness.

“While folding houses, one person revealed that they had spent 20 years rough sleeping which no one around them was previously aware of.”

Ms Gellatly said a Haven Home Safe client who experiences social anxiety had embraced folding the houses and loved the focus it gave them.

“Playing their part in this larger project from the comfort of their home, they single-handedly folded almost 2000 homes,” she said.

According to VHN, the last Census showed that 30,000 Victorians, including 6800 children, are without a home on any given night.

The top three causes of homelessness reported are family violence, financial difficulties and the housing crisis.

Homelessness Week is running until Sunday, with the theme of Homelessness Action Now.