I was shocked to learn that 32 women who were forced out of The Gatwick, to make way for Channel Nine’s The Block, ended up homeless and in prison. I can’t believe we let vulnerable people fall through the cracks just so a big network can profit from their TV show.
I personally have worked for years assisting people at risk of homelessness, in Australia and overseas, including in the St Kilda area, and have seen first hand the importance stable accommodation makes to people’s lives.
Before transforming The Gatwick into luxury apartments and ratings gold, the St Kilda icon was last-ditch accommodation for many women. Women are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, and sleeping rough is incredibly unsafe for women. These women have been forced on to the street and put in jail because of poverty and homelessness-related crimes and desperation, and it all started when Channel Nine muscled their way into The Gatwick.
Sometimes crisis accommodation like The Gatwick is all people have available to them and when it’s gone all that’s left is the street. That Channel Nine can profit off this and just put the money they made from their show in their pocket and walk away without having to take ownership for what they’ve done is obscene. They need to be answerable to the people they have affected by this.
I’d like to see Channel Nine put the advertising and other the money they made off The Block towards housing the women they helped make homeless. Will you sign my petition and help me help these people? |