Ainslie Village started as a military barracks during World War II (1940), when many barracks were situated around Canberra.
After the war the site was used as temporary housing for people working on the Canberra post-war reconstruction plan. As these workers moved out of The Village the site was used and is still used today to house low income and homeless people.
Today, the Village supplies accommodation for 150 people who are confronted with or are recovering from mental health issues, addiction and homelessness. Even though many of the residents are dealing with major roadblocks in their lives, they have built a supportive community amongst themselves allowing for freedom of self-expression and an honesty rarely seen elsewhere.
The Blue Door: Self-ID
Ainslie Village started as military barracks during World War II (1940), when many barracks were situated around Canberra. After the war the site was used as temporary housing for people working on the Canberra post-war reconstruction plan. As these workers moved out of The Village the site was used and is still used today to house low-income and homeless people.
Today The Village supplies accommodation for 150 people who are confronted with or recovering from mental health issues, addiction and homelessness. Even though many of the residents are dealing with major roadblocks they have built a supportive community amongst themselves which allows for free expression and honest judgement.
For the residents The Village is safe, it is home and it is a place where they can just be. Facing the world outside of The Village for some of the residents is confronting, judgemental and scary. I believe that this notion of fear of the known and unknown has existed for decades in our society as many people have been taught to exist with their class and kind rather than being open to exist as an individual in a harmonise world.
Working on this project with the residents has broadened my ideas about what identity is and what a community is. The community at Ainslie Village is real, raw and honest which are the key ingredients of a strong society.
