Meet Peninsula Health Social Worker Michelle and Homelessness and Health Case Manager Louise. As part of Peninsula Health’s Homelessness and Health Outreach Service (HHOS), Michelle and Louise work together to support individuals in need, helping them find pathways out of homelessness.
The HHOS supports individuals in maintaining their housing when facing health or other challenges that affect their living situation or in applying for public housing. Utilising a comprehensive case management approach, Homelessness and Health Outreach Service collaborates with people to address health, mental health, and social concerns that require individual assistance.
One of the clients of the HHOS, William, shares that the service has transformed his life. After enduring homelessness for almost nine years on the Mornington Peninsula, he was referred to the service by Social Worker Michelle while he was an inpatient at Frankston Hospital. Michelle recognised that William had housing concerns and played a vital role in connecting him with a specialist case manager, Louise, who has since helped him secure housing just six weeks ago.
We spoke with William to learn more about his story and experience with Peninsula Health.
Q: Could you please give a brief overview of yourself and your personal experience with homelessness?
A: I moved to Australia from Christmas Island, ended up living in my car for five years, around a year on the streets, and four months in a tent. I found out about Peninsula Health’s Homelessness and Health Outreach Service through my social worker Michelle who linked me with the Southern Peninsula Community Support Centre down at Rosebud who have been fantastic. They helped me meet Louise and she’s been great. Louise helped find me a place, and now that I’ve got a place to live everything is starting to look up.
Q: How has homelessness impacted your health?
A: It’s made me real crook; I’m dealing with heart failure now and I never had anything like that before becoming homeless. It’s hard living on the streets and in your car, only having so much to live with is really hard on your health.
Q: What was the process of finding housing, and what obstacles did you face while you were waiting?
A: I first received housing assistance through the community center in Rosebud, where they initially placed me in a tent on the foreshore for about four months. During this time, I met Louise at the community center; she was referred to me by Peninsula Health and took over my case. Louise helped me move into a place called The Ranch in Mornington, where I stayed for around nine weeks. Eventually, she then submitted a Green Light housing application for me as a special case for housing commission, which led to me finding a place in Mornington, where I’m living now.
Q: Besides housing, what other services or support programs you were linked with?
A: Louise has linked me with a few other programs. At the moment, I’m with the Mentis Assist Home and Community Care Program because she will be signing off with me soon. Louise has been great. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She’s found me a place, which is the main thing. I’ve finally got my own home to live in now which just takes so much pressure off a person. Having somewhere to put my head at night is so important. She’s been a fantastic support, she really has.
Q: Would you recommend others like yourself to reach out and use the Homeless and Health Outreach service?
A: Yes, I’ve recently recommended the program to a couple of my mates. One of my mates used to live around the corner from where I used to stay, and he’s been living in his van, so I told him to visit the community center and reach out to Peninsula Health to see if they could help him.
Q: What was the initial feeling of moving into your new home?
A: It was overwhelming the first couple of days. It was like, “Is this really real? Is this really happening?” It all happened so quickly. It was like Louise came over one day and said, “Come on, we’re going to look at a place,” and it was brilliant. I took one step inside the front door, and I said, “Yep, I’ll take it.”
Louise helped pay for my storage and for the storage people to come and move all my stuff in. It all happened so fast; it was unbelievable. Even now, after I’ve been here for six weeks, I’m still unpacking. It’s just great having your own place. I haven’t had my own place for around nine years, and all the stuff I’ve had in storage, I’m enjoying sorting everything out. It’s been fantastic.
Q: Is the service something more people should know about?
A: Not enough people know about this service, and they should. Over time, you give up and think no one will help you. When I was on the streets, I had my phone stolen and was beaten up at Frankston station by a dozen men, which ended up with me in Frankston Hospital where I met Michelle. All I could think about was that I really needed help and so I visited the community center at Rosebud. The staff there could really see the stress in me, and they looked at me like a person and recognised that I was in trouble and really needed help. They helped get me a tent, resources, and linked me with Louise. I had no idea about the Homelessness and Health Outreach Service beforehand. I’d never heard of it, and I know the people I was living on the street with hadn’t either.
It gets very hard living on the streets. It’s not very good living out in front of shops and sleeping on door mats. It gets cold in winter, and you get sick. I had never been to the doctor before becoming homeless. No one wants to live like that, but sometimes you don’t have a choice, and you’ve got nowhere to go, and you haven’t got any family to turn to.
Q: What about the service did you find the most impactful, how has it changed your life?
A: I’m beyond grateful to Peninsula Health and to the Southern Peninsula Community Support Centre—I’m grateful to everyone who actually helped me because, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now. At the end of the day, they saved my life in a way. I probably wouldn’t have made it another year living on the street. I appreciate everyone for being a part of my journey. I really love where I am now, having my own home. It just takes so much pressure off a person knowing they have somewhere to call their own.
To find out more about the Homelessness and Health Outreach Service, click here.