Are Media’s newest commercial, showing the joy of a single mother and kids receiving the keys to their new house, is the latest phase in their ‘Unhoused’ campaign to address women’s homelessness.
The Unhoused campaign was launched by Are Media and a coalition of bodies from within the women’s sector to raise awareness of the shocking proportion of women facing homelessness.
The campaign calls upon both the coalition and opposition for increased funding of $7.6 billion to address the national crisis that sees 49,000 Australian women homeless each night by providing 16,810 new permanent homes for women, as recommended by the Equity Economics ‘Nowhere to Go’ report, commissioned in July 2021.
Heading into the upcoming election, an Are Media poll found that 73 per cent of Australian women say their vote will be influenced by a political party which is committed to provide housing for women in unsafe situations.
The TV spot spotlights single mum Sarah, who had been living on friend’s houses with her three children for seven months despite being on the Department of Housing’s high priority list.
The commercial, which was created by Are Media and will air on the Seven Network, shows Sarah capturing the real reaction and emotion of her kids as they finally get the keys to their new home.
Nicky Briger, editor of marie claire, said: “As the election enters its final weeks, we are continuing to apply pressure, on both sides of politics, to ensure the scourge of women’s homelessness comes to an end. This is a powerful commercial that highlights just how important and impactful secure housing is to women and their families.”
Jenny Smith, chair of Homelessness Australia said: “All Australians deserve to be in stable accommodation, but the sad reality is that women are the biggest group in our society becoming homeless, which directly impacts their safety. It’s great to see that Are Media’s Unhoused television campaign is really driving awareness around women’s homelessness, sharing stories like Sarah’s to highlight the ongoing need for better housing for women, to bring down the numbers across the country.”
A petition on Change.org and the dedicated Unhoused website calling for action has already received more than 20,000 signatures, the largest ever response to any Are Media Change Agenda campaign.
You can view the campaign below:
