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David’s Story: A Place to Rebuild

For nearly seven years, David lived without stable housing, including periods living in the bush near Ballarat. Read how support from CatholicCare Victoria Housing (CCVH) helped him secure a home and begin rebuilding his life.

For David, the security of home is found in the everyday things many people take for granted: a warm shower, regular meals, a safe place to keep his belongings and somewhere to return to at the end of the day. 

Before connecting with CCVH, David spent years living in the Creswick area near Ballarat without stable housing. As a father of four, David has faced a number of challenges throughout his life. He recalls difficult periods supporting his family, including when his eldest child underwent heart surgery as a baby and his wife experienced postnatal depression. Following a family breakdown, David found himself without stable housing. 

By the time he connected with CCVH, David had spent between five to seven years experiencing homelessness, including periods living rough and spending time in the bush “It was hard to keep warm and eat properly, get water and take showers,” David said. “It was all very hard.” 

After years of living rough, David’s circumstances began to change when he was found and supported by Uniting’s assertive outreach team. They helped him replace important documents, including his birth certificate and Medicare card, and connected him with services that could assist him to move forward. 

Through this support, David was referred to CCVH, where he was able to access housing and begin the next chapter of his life.

Finding a way forward

When asked about his first experience with CCVH, David says he immediately felt that things were beginning to change. “I felt that things were going to start getting better and that I could start making decisions and looking forward to having a plan.” 

David says the support he received extended beyond finding housing. “The CCVH worker helping me went above and beyond to help me, understood me, listened to me, and accepted me. Having a place to be and the warm nature of the people who helped me is humbling.” 

For David, having a home means more than having a place to sleep. It means having the security that many people rarely stop to think about. “The security of having a home is knowing that when I leave, my belongings will still be there when I come back.” 

 

Rebuilding after loss

Without the stability of a safe house, David lost important documents, personal belongings and tools he had collected over a lifetime. Some were stolen, while others disappeared as he moved from place to place. Among them were tools connected to dreams he once held of buying a houseboat, helping clean local waterways and training young Indigenous people in trades. For years, there was no safe place to keep the things that mattered to him. 

Today, having a home means David no longer lives with that uncertainty. “Here I have the opportunity to rebuild and start again, do some gardening and grow vegetables,” he said. 

Looking after what matters

Having a safe place to live has also allowed David to turn his attention to things that were difficult to prioritise while experiencing homelessness. 

When daily life is focused on finding somewhere safe to sleep, cutting wood for warmth and meeting basic needs, health concerns can easily be pushed aside. “When you’re in a bad place, you tend to ignore those things,” David said. “But now I can move forward with my health.” The simple things that once felt out of reach, accessing healthcare, growing food and making plans for the future, are now part of everyday life.

The difference support can make

Reflecting on his experience, David says homelessness can often feel isolating, with few people understanding the reality of living without a safe place to call home. Now living in a CCVH property in Swan Hill, he can look back on those years from a different place, one where he has the security of a home and the opportunity to keep moving forward. 

“I would like people to know there are very few organisations really addressing homelessness and actually doing something about it, and CCVH is one of those doing something important,” he said. 

“I can’t speak more highly of the organisation.” 

Written by Laura O'Leary

Written 29 Sep 2026

Reviewed 29 Sep 2026

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