John* has been living out of his car for almost two years now.
Living with schizophrenia and injuries sustained in a motorbike accident made it hard to continue working in garden maintenance and he was now living on welfare payments.
John said his application to live in public housing had been accepted, but he was on the waiting list which was making it hard to find a job even though he feels he is ready to get back into the workforce.
“I was applying for jobs, but I stopped because what’s the point. They ask you where you live and I’m not going to [lie]. So what is the point?,” he said.
John said he had been turned down from a potential job because he didn’t have a permanent place of residence and housing was the main barrier holding him back from finding further employment.
“All the real estate agents don’t help because I don’t have a rental history,” he said.
“I want to go and get a job back and get some independence and a house.”
Anglicare acting regional director Dennis Minster said having a stable place to live was important and could prevent flow-on effects.
“If you don’t have a stable place to live, it is very difficult to access other things like to be able to go on and find employment if you don’t have a mailing address or a place where people can access you,” he said.
“It just makes it much more difficult to get yourself out of that particular hole, if you like.
“I saw a gentleman this morning who had lost a place in housing and the only reason he didn’t end up on the street was because he had family and friends who came to his assistance.”
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said rough sleeping in Victoria was a complex issue with numbers and locations of people fluctuating on a daily basis.
“Recent research indicates that many people who experience homelessness due to a short term crisis – such as unemployment, financial stress, family violence or housing crisis – may be forced to sleep rough,” she said.
“Other people who are sleeping rough have experienced longer term disadvantage and may have a complex array of issues that affect their ability to seek help, and find and sustain housing.”
The spokesperson said John had a current public housing application and the department had contacted him to ensure it had all the relevant information.
*John’s real name has been withheld for privacy reasons.
