Homelessness is highlighted with body paint during a public art show featuring AFLW star Erin Phillips
AFLW player Erin Phillips is no stranger to silvers, but she donned gold for a very different reason than the fielding exploits she’s known for.
the main points:
- AFLW champion Erin Phillips was among seven notable South Australians who took part
- Usually used to symbolize wealth, the color gold was chosen in an ironic way
- Organizers say the vast majority of people currently seeking support are “new to homelessness”.
The former Crow player-turned-Port Adelaide player was among seven prominent South Australians who gathered in the center of Adelaide’s main shopping strip to draw attention to the continuing spread of homelessness.
Surrounded by Rundle Mall fashion stores, eager shoppers, billboards and retail outlets, the group included Adelaide Fringe manager Heather Kroll, Corna’s great-uncle Mickey O’Brien and former A-League striker Bruce Dget – all donning gold body paint. fundraiser.
“There is too much being done, and it’s clearly not enough,” said Djette, who is also chief executive of the state property board.
“It’s a crisis that’s getting worse. This is due to a lack of affordable real estate and a lack of supply and choice in general.”
It’s the “responsibility of people like us” to support public initiatives that aim to help find solutions, Mr. Djitt said.
“Homelessness is still a real stigma,” he said. “People try to hide it. People are couchsurfing or living in cars and they might get hired.”
“[It’s] Something can happen to anyone, hence I wear work clothes.”
Organized by homelessness support service Lutheran Care – and described by its creator Andrew Binns as a ‘living art installation’ – the event was accompanied by audio recordings of people experiencing deprivation and hardship.
“We tried to get a complete cross-section of the different things that could happen so that people would look at it and go, ‘S***, it could be me’,” said the veteran public artist.
Erin Phillips [is] A mother runs away grieving with her child, we have [government MP] Nat Cook holds an eviction notice because she clearly has nowhere to go — she’s been fired.”
Many seeking support are ‘new to homelessness’
Baines — who himself came close to homelessness when he racked up heavy debt around the time of the 2008 global financial crisis — said the colored gold, usually a symbol of wealth, was chosen for its ironic value.
“Being a surrealist, I do everything out of context. So, I thought, ‘I’m going to get all these statues here and instead of silver or bronze I’m going to get gold,'” he said.
“Why would you have a gold homeless person? That’s it [about] Make people think from back to front.”
Lutheran Care executive director Susan Richards said she wanted the event to be so strikingly eye-catching that it was impossible to ignore.
“We hope that this will spark a real community-based approach to solving this problem,” she said.
“We are finding out right now… that 85 percent of the people who come to our service are actually new to homelessness, and have never had to use a service like this before.
“It’s the increase in inflation. It’s the wage discrepancy right now, and we all know there’s a finite market for housing. So it’s a combination of everything.”
Human Services Secretary Nat Cook said it was important the government continued to “ensure the supply of affordable housing increases”.
“There are thousands of people in South Australia who live without a safe home,” she said.
“Several thousand people each month come into contact with our specialized homelessness service providers.”