Over 8,000 people across Australia sleep rough every night and as a result of being vulnerable and unprotected, hundreds lose their lives each year due to attacks, suicide, overdoses and pneumonia. The average life expectancy of someone who is sleeping rough long-term is just 47 years old. 

Having been personally impacted by homelessness, for Norman McGillivray this was unacceptable. He created Beddown to address the situation of sleeping rough through utilising carparks which had previously remained vacant at night and turning them into safe, accessible accommodation which allows guests a safe place to sleep as well as access to services that will help repair their quality of life.

When planning and building code began to present as an obstacle, Norman was introduced to Natalie Rayment, the Executive Director of Wolter Consulting Group. Incredibly inspired by Norman's idea and with a career in town planning, Natalie was able to help turn Beddown into a reality. 

Join us for an incredibly moving episode of The Common Creative, as Chris and Paul speak with Norman and Natalie about the design thinking involved in the creation of Beddown and the planning associated with making this incredible initiative possible. 

Links/References

Norman McGillivray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/normmcgillivray/

Natalie Rayment: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-rayment-a30a0832/

Beddown: https://beddown.org.au/

The Common Creative Podcast (Paul and Chris): https://creativecommons.org.au

The Common Creative (Mailing List Subscriptions): http://eepurl.com/hgp0_j