Mark Mortensen, Davo (PEOPLE & PORTRAIT 2024)

This is Dave – Dave is homeless, and I’d like to put this portrait into some context - In the ACT, the number of homeless people went up by 11.3% from 1596 to 1777. Across Australia, the number of homeless people went up by 5.2% from 2016 to 2021. That means 1 out of every 201 Australians is homeless right now. In Australia, one out of every seven homeless people is over 55 years old. The average life expectancy for homeless men is between 45 and 47 years old. Dave has just turned 50.

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