The Ranch Documentary

In the picturesque Mornington Peninsula with opulent homes and million-dollar beach boxes, the reality and scale of the homelessness crisis is often hidden.

Almost 4,000 people are waiting for public housing and, on any night, around 600-700 people are sleeping rough in dunes, parks, toilet blocks and cars.
There is only one crisis accommodation centre that receives no government support. Its closure is imminent.

The region is a microcosm for the global problem. Like many other tourist regions, rising rents and property values, cost-of-living pressures and an increasing number of holiday rentals, make even more people vulnerable. In today’s climate, many of us are just one paycheck or one unfortunate incident away from losing our home which should activate and inspire many of us to make change.

We want the film to:
– Be an advocacy tool that explains and engages policy makers, change-makers and the public with the issue.
– Create empathy for people experiencing homelessness and break down stereotypes about how people find themselves in this situation.
– Demonstrate that there are solutions available and the positive impact crisis and social housing can provide.
– Motivate audiences to get involved with the issue.
– Inspire audiences to engage more broadly with their community and vulnerable people within it.

Short term:
This is a global problem. We want to inspire audiences to engage with the issue on the Peninsula and also in their area. This includes donating time and resources to local support services and connecting with the issue with their community and online (e.g. sharing info about the issue and the film, accessing resources etc).
We also hope audiences undergo an attitude shift that reduces negative stereotypes for people experiencing homelessness and increase empathy.

Medium term:
Inspire local people, community groups and foundations to come together to find local solutions. There are innovative ideas out there and local expertise and resources.
We want to see Local, State and Federal government change at a policy level, including increasing the availability of more crisis and social housing.

Long term:
Reduce number of people sleeping rough.
An increased number of people in social housing and re-engaged with employment and community.

MCSC is well-connected in the homelessness sector. They have relationships with people experiencing homelessness, frontline workers and agencies. They also are connected with local council, State and Federal MPs.
They will use the film as an advocacy tool as part of their on-going conversations with philanthropists, foundations and governments.

MCSC will promote the film within the above networks. We will also run targeted social media and traditional media campaigns.
We will capitalize on the success of the engagement of audiences with the short film where a trailer was viewed over 85,000 times on social media. We also sold out two cinemas for the premiere and hosted online screenings. The film was also covered several times by local newspapers, radio and channel 9 news. This engagement resulted in an outpouring of support and donations for support services.

With a longer format, we will also be connecting with broadcasters, specifically ABC, SBS and Stan.

The final frame will include three calls to action and a website address.

1. Donate time or resources to local support services.
In every region, frontline support agencies do challenging work with limited resources. On the Peninsula, these agencies receive little government funding and rely on the donated time, goods and money from the public. We want audiences to seek out these agencies in their area and support them.

2. Advocate to local, state and federal government for more crisis and social housing.
Our website will include sample letters that people can adapt to send to their local MP, and links to existing sites and resources.

3. Connect with their community. Check on neighbors. Share a meal.
There are community efforts happening everywhere. Innovative solutions by people banding together to make a difference.
Plus, there are also always opportunities to connect at an individual level. To create connections with neighbours or those that are vulnerable in the community.