The need and potential for passion and direction in the lives of the homeless is necessary. With the number of organizations providing different beneficial services such as financial, provisional, social and healthcare, many are still victims of the vicious cycle that is homelessness.

Since the early 90s the reasons for homelessness have been growing through the help of research; unhappy families, poor performance at school, low skill sets, unstable relationships, involvement with crime and rising prices. Whatever the cause may be, the effect is homelessness and with that effect comes the loss of self-confidence and passion in the lives of the victimized. So how do we solve this problem?

The H-Factor aims at providing a platform for the homeless to use their skills and talents to get their lives back on track rather than relying on the donations or the help from the government. We believe that this service can both bridge the gap between the homeless and the general public as well as provide channels and opportunities to bring the homeless out of the vicious cycle.

The performing arts and television have always been stepping stones for many Australians to build successful and legendary careers, bringing average human beings to stardom and becoming household names. This is where the homeless come into perspective, we believe through the performing arts and television we will be able to bring the perceived to be below average homeless man/woman to a stage where he/she can shine and provide inspiration to others like him/her.

Lets take Australia’s Got Talent contestant Fiona Mariah for example. Her life is a good example to many homeless women and single mothers as she decided to use her amazing ability to sing and perform on the street of Perth when her life is at the lowest point. Many stars like William Shatner, Sylvester Stallone and Hilary Swank have all experienced homelessness and used the performing arts to escape that situation.

The structure of this service will incorporate a reality show and a website. It will also provide the homeless with personality tests that would identify their strengths and potentials. This doesn’t just revolve around the performing arts scene. The idea is not just about finding jobs for homeless people but to bridge gaps and increase passion and self-confidence among the community.

There is a proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This proverb sums up the principal of this idea. To educate and provide the right tools and find the best possible fit for the homeless into the society.

References

Department of Health, Housing and Community Services 1993, Homeless young women: supported accommodation and related support services, Department of Health, Housing and Community Services, Canberra.

McCaughey, J 1992, Where now?: homeless families in the 1990s, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.

Loft, J & Davis, M 1988, Homelessness: an annotated bibliography of Australian research, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.

Serr, K 2006, Thinking about poverty, 3rd edn, Federation Press, New South Wales.
Enterprise Melbourne 2011, Street entertainment – busking, City of Melbourne, viewed 2 October 2011, <http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/enterprisemelbourne/industries/design/StreetEntertainme nt/Pages/StreetEntertainment.aspx >.

Noakes, M 2011, ‘Fiona Mariah not just any old busker’ ,Perthnow.com.au, 10 May 2011, viewed 29 September 2011, <http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/fiona-mariah-not- just-any-old-busker/story-e6frg30c-1226053453372>.

What we do 2011, Links, Teach A Man to Fish, viewed 2 October 2011, < http://www.teachamantofish.org.uk/>.

Noted Individuals Who Have Experienced Homelessness n.d., Celebrity Research Lists, viewed 5 October 2011, <http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/lists/homeless.html>.