Jacob’s Story: Choosing to keep going, no matter what

A childhood shaped by survival

At 34, Jacob has experienced homelessness for more than half his life. But his story is not defined by homelessness. It is defined by resilience, and a determination to build something better. 

Jacob grew up on a farm in Port Victoria, in a home marked by violence. As a child, he tried to speak up, but nothing changed. 

“I left home… the first time was 10, but at 13 was the last time I left and never went back,” he recalls.  

Even then, Jacob was making a choice. To survive. To keep going. 

Building a life, then losing it

As an adult, Jacob worked hard to create stability. He ran his own lawn mowing business, picked up whatever work he could, and built a life with his partner and child. 

“I never thought I’d be homeless again… we were going to buy our own house.”  

But when the relationship broke down and financial pressures mounted, everything fell apart. Within months, Jacob had lost his business, his savings, and his home. 

He found himself back on the streets. 

Still, he kept trying to rebuild. 

Love, loss and the weight of grief

Jacob’s life has been shaped not only by hardship, but by profound loss. 

When he learned his former partner was critically unwell, he travelled to Queensland to be by her side. 

“She passed away in my arms the day I got there,” he says.  

Her final wish was for him to care for their daughter. It was a moment that stayed with him and deepened his sense of responsibility. 

“My daughter was my motivation to keep going.”  

Years later, Jacob experienced another devastating loss when his eldest daughter passed away at just 13. 

The grief was overwhelming. It could have stopped him. 

Instead, Jacob made the difficult choice to keep moving forward, holding on to the people who still needed him and the future he still believed was possible. 

Life on the streets, and refusing to give up

For nearly three years, Jacob lived in a makeshift camp in the bush in Bendigo. 

But even then, he created structure, purpose and a sense of home. 

“I built myself a little room… almost like a house, except it was a tent,” he says.  

He gathered wood, repaired what he could, and looked out for others around him. 

“I actually got classed as the caretaker for camp out there.”  

Jacob wasn’t just surviving. He was still trying to build a life. 

Finding the right support

While accessing services wasn’t always easy, things changed when Jacob connected with CatholicCare Victoria Case Worker Jodi. 

With Jodi, he felt understood. 

“She worked out very quickly the best ways to get through to me… I could never thank her enough.”  

That connection became a turning point. 

When Jacob was referred to the Homes First program, he saw something he hadn’t had in a long time. A clear way forward. 

“I had my way out,” he says

A home, and a future he is building

Today, Jacob has a place to call home and the support to keep moving forward. 

“I owe my life to CatholicCare… If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have made it.”  

He is focused on being there for his daughters and creating the stable life he has always worked towards. 

“Life is going to get so much more rewarding. I’m finally going to be able to be the person that I should have already been.”  

Jacob is also giving back, using his lived experience to support others through the CatholicCare Homelessness Advisory Team (CCHAT) 

“I’ve got enough lived experience… to help somebody else.”  

Challenging stigma and changing perceptions

Jacob knows how quickly people make assumptions about homelessness. 

“People assume… it’s because of drugs, that I was aimless.”  

“That’s the stigma that we’ve got to break down.”  

His message for Homelessness Awareness Week is simple.