Bairnsdale resident, Tony, is acutely aware of what it’s like to be homeless.
For three long years he didn’t have anywhere to call home.
Tony, who has been living in East Gippsland for 18 years, had suddenly found himself homeless.
A few years ago, he lost his job at a local food manufacturer, where he had worked for five-and-a-half years.
“You lose your job and then one thing leads to another,” Tony told the Advertiser in a candid interview about the stigma of being homeless.
Unsure of what to do, Tony turned to St Vincent de Paul Society in Bairnsdale for help.
“They were wonderful, they helped me out with food, bedding, clothing, toiletries, a swag, a tent… everything a homeless person could pretty much ask for beside housing,’’ Tony said.
IMAGE: Tony was homeless for three years but is now smelling the roses after a house was found for him in East Bairnsdale, ending his days on the street. K416-6584 3