Dan Minchin (left) and Louise Forster (right)
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As people age, how does the danger of becoming homeless increase?
Andrew received an eviction notice. He is 84. His friend Karen contacted Chorus and Frances from Chorus went out to see Andrew. She was concerned and also surprised at what she found.
Andrew’s Story
Andrew wasn’t able to keep up with the maintenance of his property and the living situation had become unsafe and highly unsuitable for his needs.
“I just think the house needed to be knocked down to be honest.” – Frances Sheehan.
Andrew was also facing eviction. He and his caregiver Karen were under pressure to find a solution.
Moving to a New Home
“I think people assume homelessness often is people living on the streets, and that’s really just the tip of the iceberg,” says Lou Forster. “I think the definition of homelessness is an unstable environment or insecure tenure where you don’t know where your next place will be. Sleeping on couches or your car… A lot of homelessness is unseen, and particularly we don’t tend to see older people on the streets that much either.”
Andrew was able to move straight away into a new home that had been researched by Gloria and the Chorus team, allowing his transition to be as smooth as possible.
“We got approval for him to move in that week, so going from total despair to [asking ourselves] what are we going to do, to a life changing moment for Andrew where by Friday he was moved in, and we never looked back.” – Karen
Older homeless people are less visible than other homeless people as they are less likely to be living on the street but increasingly some seniors are facing insecure housing.
“It’s stories like this that make me proud to work for Chorus” – Dan Minchin
Find out more:
Support for older people facing homelessness
Credits
Podcast Hosts: Louise Forster & Dan Minchin
Opening Voiceover: Ryan Burke
Music: “Wattlebird” by Dylan Hatton Music
Interviewer: Judith Hatton
Story Editor/Producer: Judith Hatton
Executive Producer: Meaghan Ferries
Production: Matthew Clark
Special Thanks To:
Gloria Sanchez
Frances Sheehan
Karen & Andrew
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