How did you come to experience homelessness?
I’ve got a history of drug use, and prison a few years ago. I found myself released to no housing. I was rough sleeping nearly six years all up.
I had a bad car accident ten years ago and I got a brain injury out of it and I’ve had heaps of surgery.
How did you come into contact with the Daily Support Team?
I was living in Bourke Street mall, and Daniel was on the Daily Support Team and he started coming by and talking to me and then the Bourke Street mall incident happened.
Daniel introduced me to the people from NEAMI and they put me in the Coburg Motor Inn – I was paying a certain amount each week and they were paying the rest. When the transitional housing was built, I moved in.
Finally, I’m now on the pension and seeing psychologists about Bourke Street, and physios, and occupational therapists and dentists. I’m trying to get to a place that I can live with.
How did Daniel and the team help you?
He helped me update my priority housing application and get me into housing. I was really struggling after Bourke Street and I still am. It was horrible. It still is. I’m trying to find a place where I can stop having nightmares and flashbacks about it and trying to get as good as I can.
Daniel was a great help and really went out of his way to make sure everything was done for me. We need more workers like him that actually care. It’s pretty hard on the streets.
What is it like having your own place and your dog?
It’s good having my own place. It’s hard getting used to keeping it tidy and paying bills and all that stuff but it’s so much better than being on the street. I don’t go into the city very often at all because I have a lot of emotional baggage. I try to stay away from there as much as I possibly I can.
I’ve had Tipper for about 10 months; I adopted her from the RSPCA. It’s company. I don’t really associate much with many people. It’s good to have company.
Chris's received transitional housing through Towards Home and accessed intensive daily support services through NEAMI.