Mark Mortensen, Struggling with his demons (DOCUMENTARY & STREET 2025)

Mental health and homelessness are deeply connected—and this image says it all. On a Saturday afternoon. One man, sitting alone, head in hand, captured the silent crisis unfolding in our streets. Mental health struggles are a leading cause of homelessness in Australia. Once on the street, getting support becomes even harder. It’s a vicious cycle—without stable housing, mental health often declines further. Nearly 4 in 10 people who’ve experienced homelessness report having a mental illness, almost double the rate of the general population (ABS 2023). This is not just a personal tragedy—it’s a societal failure. With elections approaching, we must ask: What are our leaders doing to address this crisis? Homelessness and mental health need urgent, bipartisan action. Let’s not look away.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.