Hunter McLachlan has loved art since before he was a teenager.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But it wasn't until recently that he found a space to properly showcase his work.
Mr McLachlan has - among other things - autism and fought tooth and nail to get onto the NDIS. After the 19-year-old was finally successful in this venture, he sought out a place to put his creativity to good use. Towards the end of 2022, he came across the Safe Hands Hub.
"I've been looking for a place to actually work on my art, make it better and sell it so I can make some money," he said.
"I can't work, so I've got to do something that I feel is worthwhile and I want to use my art to do that."
The property in 342 Peisley Street is a place for those with disabilities and mental health challenges to work towards achieving something great.
Mr McLachlan said the six months since joining the group has been an "amazing" experience.
"You get to actually do something with what your art is," he added.
"A lot of other art groups you just go and draw and there's no goal to work towards. Here, we have a goal."
Mr McLachlan will be one of the artists to showcase their work on the night of May 25, during an event open to the public.
Kaelene Masters is an art therapist at Safe Hands. She helps run the art group which meets from 10am to 2pm every Thursday.
She said a big part of the group and the home itself was to help those who have battled homelessness.
"People don't know about this stuff and how hard it is to get from the ground to actually putting an exhibition together," she said.
"They've had to be responsible for everything, they've had to turn up and give ideas."
Ms Masters wanted to raise awareness that Safe Hands was not only a place for those who are neurodivergent, but also a shelter for people who have experienced alcoholism and "a whole spectrum of things."
"They're here to achieve their goal which is to work in the art field," she added.
The exhibition on May 25 will kick off at 5pm and be open for a month, with pieces of work available to purchase.
"To go from being homeless is such a difficult task because people just fall through the cracks. They tell me they had all these goals for themselves and then one thing led to another, so it could happen to any of us," Ms Masters said.
"I love to break down those barriers and this is what that's about. This will be a proud moment for them."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens.
Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.