"BELONGING" WORKSHOP AND FASHION RUNWAY EVENT WITH GINA

Homelessness Advocate Gina invites young LGBTQIA+ women who have or are experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness to share their stories of belonging through creative expression. Gina will be leading a millinery workshop enabling women to create unique hats using a diverse range of colours, shapes and sizes in styles including berets, masks, caps, fascinators, beanies and headbands. The artworks created in this workshop will be showcased at the UNSEEN Arts Hub fashion runway event. Bring only your imagination, no experience in hat making is required to participate. Please contact us if you have any inclusion requirements via belinda@mutti.org.au or call 0414 787 788.

WHEN?

Sunday 27 November 2022

10:00am - 1:30pm Workshop

1:30 - 2:00pm Lunch

2:00pm - 2:30 Fashion Runway Event

WHERE?

UNSEEN Arts Hub, Centenary Square, Church Street Parramatta

FAQs

47.5% LGBTQI persons experience homelessness or housing insecurity, or had been at risk of homelessness. 40% of those reported discrimination against them in the housing market. Among trans and gender diverse persons, the numbers were worse, with 79 % experiencing homelessness in some form and 62.5 % being subjected to discrimination while accessing the housing market. For Intersex persons 50 % had experienced homelessness and 75 % faced discrimination. For LGBTQI persons with a disability, 78 % had experienced homelessness and 66 % had faced discrimination.

WHY AN UNSEEN ARTS HUB?

Highly visible and innovative, the UNSEEN Arts Hub uses art’s unique power of arousing curiosity to generate a safe space within communities to raise public awareness of the complex and unexpected circumstances leading to women’s hidden homelessness. The UNSEEN Arts Hub challenges dehumanising attitudes and misconceptions that promote the negative stereotypes, fear and stigma so often associated with women who experience housing insecurity and homelessness in our communities These stereotypes often translate into not-in-my-back-yard approaches to social and affordable housing. Instead, the UNSEEN Arts Hub generates tolerance and understanding of the causes of women’s homelessness and the pathways needed to secure safe and adequate housing for women at risk. For homelessness to end, change must happen in the hearts and minds of all Australians before policy can reflect much-needed social change.

WHAT IS WOMEN'S HIDDEN HOMELESSNESS?

In Australia, over 50,000 women are experiencing homelessness, mainly caused by domestic violence and financial abuse. While some 400,000 women over 45 are estimated to be at risk of homelessness, fear and stigma causes many to avoid support services and remain in violent situations. Others stay in temporary or overcrowded accommodation, or sleep in their car or concealed places. Older women are the fastest-growing cohort experiencing homelessness, and 400,000 women over 45 are currently estimated to be at risk. Without the opportunity to learn from those with lived experience, the diversity and scale of women’s housing insecurity and homelessness will continue to be underestimated, making the future increasingly bleak for young women.The UNSEEN Arts Hub makes visible the narratives of these women through the power of art and face-to-face engagement with the public.

Thank you to the City of Parramatta, Bonnie Support Services, Western Sydney University and Museum of Understanding Through Tolerance and Inclusion, along with Primary Comms Group, for supporting the Parramatta activation of the UNSEEN Arts Hub. This activation would not be possible without the leadership of women from the UNSEEN Arts Hub who have lived experience of housing insecurity and homelessness. We also wish to thank Code Green, AutoSkin, Avery Dennison, American Shingles, AWS, Soroptimist, Share the Dignity and Khun Khao Foundation, as without them - we wouldn't have an arts hub.