Every night was unbearably cold. Vince would huddle in his crowded tent, shared with four other men, beneath the light rail tunnels of Sydney’s Wentworth Park.
“I thought I was going to be on the streets for the rest of my life,” Vince says.
But in a moment, that all shifted. “I was lucky that Wesley Mission came along, and they changed all that for me,” he shares.
In the park, Vince met Rob from Wesley Mission, who invited him to stay at our Wesley Edward Eagar Centre in Surry Hills.
Vince vividly remembers the long walk there, in the pouring rain. When they arrived, “I was soaked,” he says.
“It was so good to have a hot shower and a hot meal. I was very grateful.”
While finally safe and comfortable, finding Vince a permanent roof over his head proved a challenge. Years before, he had been struggling with addiction and he wanted to put something aside for his daughter. So he had invested money into a Trust under her name. But they had lost contact after a messy divorce. Although Vince was still glad about his decision, it meant he had nothing left to build a life for himself. Other financial circumstances were complicating his situation, too.
But our team began navigating through Vince’s housing issues. After eight months at Wesley Edward Eagar Centre, Vince was offered a transitional home in Sydney’s inner suburbs. Two years later, we helped him find a permanent residence.
“The last 10 years have been a struggle for me, and I didn’t ever think that I’d end up where I am today, but I do have to thank Wesley Mission … I couldn’t have done that by myself,” Vince says.
Thanks to your generosity, we finally found a place Vince can call home.