For the past eight years Andrew has fought every day to stay off the streets and stop drinking and taking drugs, but last month he was ready to walk out the door and go “straight to the pub”.
Key points:
- Andrew was homeless on and off for 20 years, now he is fighting to stay in his home
- St Vincent de Paul says the numbers of people at risk of homelessness have skyrocketed
- Andrew said he was close to relapsing as he came close to not being able to afford rent
The price of Andrew’s rental home in Armidale in the NSW New England region increased by $30 a week, his regular bills went up, and the cost of his usual supermarket shop had also become more expensive.
“I was at the point where I couldn’t afford my rent,” he said.
With more money going out than coming in, Andrew was forced to take emergency financial measures.
“I had to access my super to survive, and if I didn’t, I don’t know where I’d be,” he said.
Andrew has asked to use only his first name to protect his family’s identity.
The New South Wales regional director for the St Vincent de Paul Society, Phil Donnan, said Andrew’s situation was similar to what many in the Armidale region were experiencing.
He said housing was becoming increasingly unstable and many were having to find any means possible to stay off the streets.
“Couch surfing, sleeping in cars, temporary accommodation. It’s just skyrocketing,” Mr Donnan said.
In the year to June 30, St Vincent de Paul in Armidale gave financial assistance to 766 people, 48 more than the previous financial year.
In the wider region which incorporates Gunnedah, Tamworth, Inverell, and Tenterfield, St Vincent de Paul distributed $355,000 in financial assistance to 3,170 people.
That was $155,400 more than the previous financial year when 338 fewer people needed help.
The journey to find a home
While in secure housing now, Andrew has been homeless on and off for 20 years and spent many nights sleeping rough.
“I mixed with the wrong crowd. I burnt down my tent just because I was on drugs. I threw everything away and just lived day to day on the streets,” he said.
In 2016, Andrew was admitted to St Vincent de Paul’s Freeman House in Armidale, a medical unit that provides withdrawal management.
He volunteered for eight months working as a donations delivery driver and was later offered a job working in the St Vincent warehouse in Armidale.
“St Vincent’s helped me get a place [to rent]. They took me there. They did everything basically and they vouched for me,” he said.
The breaking point
Andrew said the rental increase on top of all the other costs of living, sent him into a spiral.
“I had a mental breakdown, I lost it. I started bawling my eyes out. I was feeling suicidal,” he said.
The tactics he learnt at Freeman House stopped him from giving it all up.
“What Freeman House taught me was go seek help and seek that help as soon as you possibly can,” he said.
“I sought it as quick as I could.”
Andrew worked with his support system to ensure he would continue to have a safe place to sleep.
“I came and saw Phil. He said, ‘Come in and do a budget and we’ll see what we can do.'”
Andrew said previously he would have given up, and although it is hard, he wants to fight to stay off the streets.
“Eight years ago, I would’ve said, ‘Yeah, go out there, do the bad stuff,'” he said.
“But now I’ve got a daughter that I’ve got to show respect to, and I’ve got to show her that dad can do these sorts of things now.”
More people at risk
Phil Donnan said the types of people finding themselves in the same situation as Andrew were diverse.
“We define housing stress as using 30 per cent of your income on housing, and there’s an ever increasing number of people in that zone,” Mr Donnan said.
“There is a large cohort of people at risk of becoming homeless. “
Andrew said while he does not know what lies ahead he will try to remain positive.
“Depression’s always there, anxiety is always there, you’re always going to ride a wave and it’s going to crash and burn. But you just keep on getting back up,” he said.
“I’m fighting very hard [to stay off the streets].”