NFP Uses Fake Website to Shine a Light
20 November 2014 at 10:33 am
With house prices in Australia’s capital cities reaching record levels, a new satirical website has been launched to shed light on a serious housing crisis of a different sort.
Habitat for Humanity Australia has unveiled a website intended to shine a light on the stark differences between housing issues in Australia and developing countries.
The median house price in Sydney has reached an all-time high of $811,837, an amount that Habitat for Humanity says could build 400 houses in Nepal or 200 in Cambodia, where millions of people are living in substandard conditions.
The new website highlights the delights of “alfresco”, and “waterfront” living that are on offer for just a few thousand dollars on a phony real estate site – The Real Value of Housing.
"The reality is that these 'homes' represent the substandard housing that condemns millions of families across Asia Pacific to live in poverty and disease without access to safe water, sanitation or even a locking door,” Habitat for Humanity Australia CEO, Martin Thomas, said.
"We are not trying to make people feel guilty or dismiss the very real housing problems in Australia. But sometimes it is good to look around at some of the challenges other people are facing."
One of the fake property listings spruiks a dilapidated shack, describing it as perfect “for the water-lover, this lakeside property is the perfect place to invest. Wake up to a bracing sea breeze from your own private stagnant water source”.
When a fake link is clicked on, it leads people to a confronting video about the difficult housing situations facing people in developing countries.
“With 500 million people living in slums across Asia today, the growth of its largest cities has created a shelter crisis which is akin to “a humanitarian crisis in slow motion”, Thomas said.
The Real Value of Housing, supported by the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade (DFAT) is raising awareness of the growing rate of slums and the need for adequate housing.
Habitat for Humanity is aiming to provide safe and affordable homes to 15 million people in Asia Pacific by 2020, and engage another 10 million as volunteers, advocates and supporters.
Thomas said it costs just $3000 to build a house in many parts of Asia for a poor family.
The website can be found here.
