Source: SBS
There’s a homelessness crisis in Australia and it’s getting worse. The last Census showed 116,000 people in Australia have no place to call home.
Since it first premiered in 2017, Filthy Rich & Homeless has sparked a national discussion on homelessness and the issue has never been more pertinent than now.
Produced by the award-winning Blackfella Films (First Contact, DNA Nation, Deep Water: The Real Story), Filthy Rich & Homeless will return for a third season and air over three successive nights – June 9, 10 and 11 – at 8:30pm on SBS.
Five high-profile Australians agreed to swap their privileged lifestyles for 10 days of being homeless in NSW. They find out what it’s like to go from having everything to having absolutely nothing.
Living amongst Australia’s homeless are Emergency Doctor & Businessman Dr. Andrew Rochford; Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne Arron Wood; Restauranteur & Entrepreneur Pauline Nguyen; Comedian & Radio Presenter Ciaran Lyons; and Actress & Model Ellie Gonsalves.
In season three of the critically acclaimed series, the five participants are separated to experience different forms of homelessness – from sleeping rough on the streets to living in crisis accommodation and marginal housing, including boarding houses and caravan parks. With their phones, ID and money taken from them, the five participants are given second hand clothing, a sleeping bag and nothing else.
New South Wales is at the epicentre of this crisis. The number of rough sleepers in NSW is higher than any other state in Australia, with a 35 per cent increase in the latest census.[ii] In regional NSW, there is a chronic lack of public housing and severe rental stress.[iii]
Filming took place before the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple locations across the state, including central Sydney, Western Sydney, and regional cities and towns including Newcastle, Wollongong, Dapto and Nowra.
The five participants meet those who live without a home every day, hear their heartbreaking stories of survival and gain a unique insight and understanding of the varied and complex reasons for how and why homelessness exists. They meet professionals at specialist services who are trying to end homelessness with innovative and successful initiatives. Crucially, they see first-hand the acute need for affordable housing, services and wrap around support, beyond basic shelter.
Guiding them on their journeys are acclaimed journalist and passionate advocate Indira Naidoo, and social researcher and homelessness expert Dr Catherine Robinson.
The five are forced to deal head on with homelessness. By journey’s end, perceptions have been challenged, views changed, and compassion and understanding deepened.
SBS Director of TV and Online Content, Marshall Heald said: “Filthy Rich & Homeless goes to the core of SBS’s role in exploring complex issues, confronting tough questions about society and exploring issues central to our Charter. The first two seasons of Filthy Rich & Homeless sparked a national conversation about one of the most important social issues we face as a nation, provoking debate and discussion and inspiring attitudinal and real change amongst the Australian public. The third season of Filthy Rich and Homeless will further explore the people and communities who are experiencing homelessness in central and regional NSW, and contribute to a better understanding of the many issues they face.”
Blackfella Films Producer, Darren Dale, and Series Producer and Writer, Jacob Hickey, said: “Our aim with this third season is to raise the bar even higher in terms of the public’s awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding homelessness. This crisis is getting worse, not just in the cities but regional Australia too. And so we hope this series will have a genuine impact, inspiring and influencing those with the power to bring about the long lasting change that is so desperately needed.”
Filthy Rich & Homeless Season 3 will be subtitled in Simplified Chinese and Arabic and will be added to the subtitled collection on SBS On Demand, available immediately after its premiere.
Filthy Rich & Homeless is produced by Blackfella Films for SBS with the assistance of Screen NSW. It is based on a format created by Love Productions, broadcast by the BBC in the UK and distributed by BBC Worldwide.
