An art exhibition titled “Walk in Her Shoes” is currently touring Victoria, aiming to reshape public perceptions of homelessness, particularly among women. The exhibition features illustrations that bring to life the stories of three women who have experienced homelessness at different stages of their lives. Local artist Jo Waite, who has faced housing insecurity herself, created these powerful visuals.
The exhibition opened in Casey, a suburb of Melbourne, this week, coinciding with World Homeless Day. It included a community forum attended by the Minister for Housing Harriet Shing and Opposition Leader Brad Battin. Their participation underscores the pressing need for dialogue about homelessness in the region.
Recent statistics released by the Council to Homeless Persons revealed that the Victorian Government allocates less than $400 per person annually for social housing and homelessness support, even as the state grapples with a growing housing crisis. According to Lucas Testro, Acting CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons, the exhibition provides a raw yet creative insight into the realities of homelessness.
“This is a creative, yet raw way to understand what homelessness really looks like,” Testro stated. “Many people associate homelessness with men sleeping rough. But statistically, most people facing homelessness are women, and the majority of them are leaving abusive or unsafe situations. These artworks are a haunting glimpse of how women and girls are being let down so badly by Victoria’s current lack of social housing and homelessness support.”
The urgency of the situation is further emphasized by the staggering number of individuals seeking assistance. In the 2023/24 period, over 102,000 people sought help from homelessness services in Victoria, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. Notably, 60,000 of these individuals, accounting for 58%, were women, including 13,000 working Victorians, a figure that has risen by 23% in five years.
Testro has called on the state government to commit to building at least 4,000 new social homes each year for a decade, in line with recommendations from Infrastructure Victoria. “We must act now,” he asserted. “There are more than 66,000 people on the wait list for social housing in Victoria. If we don’t start building much more social housing right now, we accept a reality in which tens of thousands more Victorians will be pushed into homelessness, and then get stuck there. We can’t let that happen.”
The exhibition aims not only to raise awareness but also to inspire action among policymakers. Testro emphasized the human element behind homelessness, urging leaders to understand that “behind every instance of homelessness is a human being just like you and me.” He concluded, “Lives depend on decisive government action.”
The “Walk in Her Shoes” exhibition serves as a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by women experiencing homelessness. By sharing their stories through art and community dialogue, the initiative seeks to foster understanding and prompt necessary changes in housing policy.
