Unhoused - Voices from the threshold

Project Summary/background

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

The podcast will draw on the experiences and insights of local people who have or are experiencing housing vulnerability and the organisations within the shire who provide support.
The podcast episodes will highlight both challenges and solutions specific to the Bega Valley and seek to provide a wide range of voices to illustrate the impacts within our rural locality.

• What is happening to address the issue locally?
• Stories of change, examples of successful outcomes.
• Insights into initiatives by government agencies, sector organisations and local services.

The podcast seeks to destigmatise the issues around housing vulnerability and homelessness and foster a better understanding of this multi-faceted issue.
Issues around housing access can be controversial and the reasons diverse and complex. The aim of this podcast is to allow people to share their experiences in a way that acknowledges the multiple factors that contribute to hardship.

Homelessness and housing stress can weaken physical and mental health and create vulnerability. They can also undermine the foundation for family wellbeing, diminish relationships, place additional pressures on community and health services and disrupt people’s sense of belonging — eventually undermining social cohesion.

In the Bega Valley there are a range of people and organisations focused on supporting people impacted by homelessness. This podcast will look into the issues of homelessness and the initiatives that are making a difference, both from people who have experienced homelessness and those who are active in making a positive impact.

Purpose

Talking about experiences can highlight strengths, foster understanding and help identify where to target resources now and into the future. This project is enabling people to tell their story in their own words. It acknowledges and validates their experiences, and these genuine spoken narratives will form part of our deeper knowledge of living through times of housing vulnerability.

Funding

Fully funded by the NSW Premier’s Department’s Social Cohesion Grant for Local Government.

Connection to Council's Strategic Plans

This project aligns with the:

• Bega Valley Shire Council Community Strategic Plan through A. Community:
  • Objective: Our shire continues to be a safe and affordable place to live.
  • Action A.9. Collaborate with relevant agencies and the private sector to increase the diversity and affordability of new and existing housing, particularly to meet the needs of our ageing population.
     
• Affordable Housing Strategy 2022 – Developing an awareness campaign on the nature and extent of the increasing homelessness in the LGA in conjunction with relevant NFPs and community networks so as to remove discrimination and increase public awareness of the issues, including among developers, real estate agents and the wider community.
   
• Library Strategic Plan 2020-2025(PDF, 1MB) – Actions
  • Develop a program of community participation and customer feedback, utilising this feedback to enhance our services.
  • Increase our community networks to provide more opportunities for the community to connect and be well informed
  • Seek new opportunities to collect, preserve and share historical and cultural heritage of the Bega Valley in innovative ways.