ConnectEd and Prahran Mission, with a philanthropic grant from the ANZ bank, have produced a documentary of interviews that tell the real story of homelessness in Melbourne as a snapshot of the problems facing 100,000 people Australia wide.

 

“In their own words” is a moving and insightful DVD which gives voice to the homelessness epidemic that is rife in Melbourne’s hidden communities.

 

Homelessness is not just the lack of a roof over your head. Rooming houses, caravan parks and other forms of transitory accommodation that are not long term solutions are being lived in for years, where people share toilets, bathrooms, kitchens and living spaces. With shared facilities, residents are forced to share germs, violence, and crime and results in people living a life of fear.

 

Residents who are not involved in the undercurrent of prostitution, drugs and violent crime often barricade themselves in their rooms just to feel safe enough to sleep.

 

Community-run rooming houses perpetuate these practices along with the Government who funds them and the Australian public by way of paying taxes and not voicing the concerns that these people face every day.

 

“In their own words” records the narrative of people who have experienced homelessness-including rooming house life.