Social housing recipient gets a home of his own after caravan living
Michael was living in a caravan park at the Hobart showgrounds and had little hope of ever finding a home. Then one day, the Salvation Army turned up and changed his life.
Transcript
00:00 Housework isn't something many people celebrate.
00:05 But for Michael Reardon, it means one thing.
00:09 He has a home.
00:11 I can vacuum, I can wash my floors, I can do my washing up, I can cook.
00:15 I can have my grandchildren here.
00:17 I can do what youth can do - normal life.
00:20 Last winter, it was a very different story.
00:25 It's embarrassing, it's degrading.
00:28 And at the moment, not real warm.
00:31 After splitting with his partner two years ago, Michael ended up living in his caravan.
00:36 But with the help of a number of not-for-profit organisations, he finally has a house he can call his own.
00:43 It just changes your life. Like I said, it's made me want to go out and help other people now.
00:50 In the 2016 Census, there were 116,000 Australians who said they were homeless.
00:56 In 2021, that increased to 122,000 - a rise of 5%.
01:03 As of this year, there are 174,000 households on the public housing waitlist across the country.
01:10 Advocates say more homes are urgently needed.
01:14 It's so challenging to really positively progress in life, to thrive without a home.
01:21 Michael is now giving back by volunteering with Mission Australia.
01:25 And he says he wants everyone who's struggling to have the same chance as him.
01:30 There's no reason why we as Australians have people living in cardboard boxes, on benches, under stairs, in drainpipes.
01:39 There's no reason for it.
01:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]