After being told she was no longer welcome at her shed accommodation where she was “living like a dog” Julie*, 51, packed up her minimal possessions, grabbed her dog Daisy* and walked into Uniting Wimmera, desperate for help.
There, Julie was referred to our Street to Home program, where she was connected with Uniting outreach worker Glenn. Glenn helped source temporary accommodation for Julie while continuing to search for a more permanent solution for her.
Glenn helped Julie and Daisy move all their belongings, supplied them with food, and visited every few days to check up on them. “He was the only one I had the whole time I was homeless. He’d find me accommodation, always,” Julie says.
Julie says Glenn went out of his way to do everything he possibly could. “He tried all avenues; he didn’t give up. He would try something else. When he was told no, he kept on going.”
Within months, Julie received a permanent housing offer thanks to Glenn’s relentless determination. “That was life changing,” says Julie.
When she first found herself homeless, Julie had reluctantly relied on her ex-partner for support. Her mother had sadly passed away, her landlord wanted her rental property back to do renovations, and she was unable to find accommodation in her hometown.
“I never thought that I would ever be homeless, and if I ever saw a homeless person I would think … you need to be more proactive. I was being proactive, but nothing was falling into place,” Julie says.
Three months went by, and Julie hadn’t found anywhere to live. She turned to the father of her two children out of desperation and moved herself and Daisy into a small shed on his property. The shed was devoid of the most basic of living facilities: no toilet, no shower and no kitchen.
“I could go inside once a week maybe and have a shower if I got lucky,” Julie says of her access to the main property’s facilities. “I felt like I was living like a dog.”
The whole nine months she was at her ex-partner’s property Julie felt unwelcome, as if her presence was frowned upon. One morning, she was told, “I don’t want to see you here tomorrow” and was given 24 hours to leave the shed. Feeling helpless, she sought out Uniting’s homelessness support.
Even though Daisy was an obstacle to accessing housing, Julie refused to part with the dog who had become her lifeline after her mother’s death. “I have always struggled with mental health,” Julie says.
“I felt like Daisy was the only thing keeping me here on this earth, and under no circumstances was I prepared to give her up.”
Glenn understood how important Daisy’s companionship was to Julie and never allowed Daisy impact Julie’s accessibility to housing.
In addition to supporting Julie’s housing journey, Glenn provided constant emotional support to keep her spirits high. He would frequently visit her, take her for coffee and keep her morals up by telling her, “You know it will work out … don’t know when, but you know it will happen.”
“I’m lucky he’s so good at what he does,” Julie says.
Now settled into her new neighbourhood, Julie spends time grabbing coffee with her neighbours and taking Daisy for walks.
“I feel like they’ve accepted me for who I am, and not the things that have happened,” Julie says of her new neighbourhood’s embracement of her.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been before.”
*The names of people (and animal) in this article have been changed to respect their privacy.
