“A great crowd” help Bob find a new home

Mr Bob King, 79, of Burnie loves his home town and the people who live and work there. When he found himself in the midst of a personal housing crisis, he took great heart from the welcome and support he received from Anglicare’s Housing Connect team.

“Burnie – and the whole North West Coast, really – is God’s gift to the world,” he says. “You can’t judge a book by its cover and you shouldn’t judge places by their old reputation. The people are just wonderful, especially the girls who work in the shops who share a laugh with me and the taxi drivers who know me by name and where I live. They’ve become friends to me.”

It was a taxi driver who first suggested that Bob contact Anglicare when he got the news that he would need to vacate his rental home of 16 years as it was being sold.

 “I didn’t know what to do. I was devastated,” Bob recalls. “I thought, Anglicare – who are they? So I went downtown the next day and walked up to the door but I didn’t have the courage to go in straight away.”

A psychiatric nurse for more than 25 years, Bob says he was used to getting help for others but being on the receiving end was a new experience.

He describes his welcome as “unbelievable” and the Housing Connect team at Burnie “a great crowd.”

“The young fellow who was at the front desk on his computer looked at me with a big grin on his face and asked “What can I do for you, mate?”  And then I met a young lady and I thought how can she possibly know about my situation? Well, she was wonderful and sat me down in her office for a good hour and a half.  And then I worked with Jon – now there’s a terrific bloke!”

Bob says Jon gave him the confidence he needed to arrange for the power to be disconnected and his furniture to be removed. Jon also arranged for him to inspect a two-bedroom unit in a well-located retirement complex that was available on the private rental market.

“I really liked it but I didn’t get my hopes up as I thought it might be too expensive,” Bob said. “Jon said to me that there were a lot of people interested in it and I might not get it but that he had another one lined up for me to look at. When [the property agent] rang me and said ‘it’s yours’ I just didn’t know what to say!

“I moved in at Christmas time. I received some Christmas cards from my new neighbours so I felt extremely welcome. At first I thought I might not fit in with all those other elderly people, but I am nearly 80 after all, so I have.”

 

What is Housing Connect?

Anglicare is the Lead Agency for Housing Connect across the north of the State and funded by the Tasmanian Government (Colony 47 is the equivalent in the south.)

You can find the Burnie Housing Connect team at Anglicare’s office at 51 Wilmot Street in the Burnie CBD, between 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday. You don’t need an appointment, and all consultations are free.

For further information on social housing options in the North West, visit the Anglicare website, or telephone us on the dedicated Housing Connect hotline 1800 800 588.

Access to safe, appropriate and affordable housing is one of Anglicare’s key focus areas.

We support the national Everybody’s Home campaign. We’re also a member of a coalition of community organisations that have called on the Tasmanian Government to extend the moratorium on rental evictions and rent increases until the end of March.

Photo: Bob King (right) developed an instant rapport with Anglicare Housing Case Worker, Jon.