HOMIE
WITH CO-FOUNDER MARCUS CROOK, NICK PEARCE STARTED MELBOURNE-BASED STREETWEAR BRAND HOMIE TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
We were initially inspired to create Homie after purely being curious about the issue of homelessness – for example, why was it so prevalent? What were the leading causes? Why was it getting worse? – and ultimately decided to sit down and have conversations with people who were living rough on the streets of Melbourne. Through these exchanges, we started to realise that the people we were speaking to didn’t match the stereotypes that were often perpetuated through the media.
As we continued to educate ourselves, we started to learn that youth homelessness was an even bigger issue within the broader issue of homelessness itself, and we wanted to create an initiative that could have a tangible, meaningful impact on breaking the cycle. Homie, which stands for Homelessness of Melbourne Incorporated Enterprise, was born: a streetwear clothing social enterprise that supported young people affected by homelessness or hardship to equip them with the skills, confidence and experiences to be more work-ready and better prepared for their future.
I think there’s
