Undercover - The Hidden Faces of Homelessness

Hundreds of thousands of homeless people in Australia are hidden and go unrecognised as homeless. The majority of them are women. In fact, women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic of homeless in the developed world and are increasingly referred to as the hidden homeless. These women live in their cars, stay on friend’s couches or sofa beds, or live in short-term accommodation. They find themselves in this uncertain and terrifying position primarily due to the gender pay gap and the lifelong gendered expectation of unpaid labour; where women often find themselves left doing the caring roles in their homes, in their extended family and in their communities.

UNDER COVER follows ten of these women. For these women, life hasn’t panned out the way they expected. They've lived in nice houses, worked good jobs, educated their children and then suddenly... life unraveled and through no fault of their own, they found themselves unable to pay their rent or mortgage.

The women featured in UNDER COVER, are all over 50, and are a diverse group from varied backgrounds - wealthy, poor, middle class, working, unemployed, migrant and indigenous. Faced with the hardships of housing stress and ageing, these women are seeking to find a home to call their own, for the final chapter of their lives. They are complex and compelling stories that reflect the years of living ordinary lives, until a catastrophe or a series of circumstances knocked them off their feet.

Following the screening there will be a facilitated QandA with support workers from Western Port Community Support Centre, Mornington Community Support Centre and the Southern Peninsula Community Support Centre.