Podcast to tackle homelessness issues

A FIRST of its kind podcast panel discussion will dig deep to share lived experiences of homelessness and outline solutions to the growing issue.

Hobart 2020 Citizen of the Year and Housing with Dignity Committee member Kate Kelly said she was homeless for much of her adult life.

“I’m (now) fortunate enough to live in social housing and I’m an advocate for outside-of-the-box models,” she said.

“Australia is quite behind, we have a one-size-fits-all public housing system.”

Ms Kelly now lives in a housing co-operative and said one of the panel’s discussion points would cover cohort-specific housing for people in homelessness demographics, such as single women over 55.

“We’ll have a candid discussion about what’s working, what’s not working and what do we think needs to be done,” she said.

“Especially with the impact of COVID-19 which is going to see an increase in several cohorts going into homelessness through job loss, it’s a very dangerous time.”

The podcast is the 2020 instalment of the Hobart City Council-supported 50/50 Affordable Housing Awareness ART Campaign.

Joining Ms Kelly will be councillor Jax Ewin, Salvation Army’s Don McRae, Tasmanian Labor housing spokeswoman Alison Standen, and Grace Morgan and Darran Lette from the Housing with Dignity Reference Committee.

The discussion will be recorded at the Hobart Town Hall by Darran Petty on Sunday for National Homelessness Week.

The podcast will be on darranpetty.com and the 50/50 Affordable Housing Awareness ART Campaign Facebook page.

annie.mccann@news.com.au