Rena's "Home at Last"
![](https://www.oldertenants.org.au/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/paola-rena_medium.jpg?itok=gjmaTUij)
Rena* (71 Years Old) was sharing accommodation with students due to her lack of housing affordability. The students she lived with were untidy and left her to clean up after them. They frequently left food in the fridge until it became rotten. This affected Rena’s food supplies making her food inedible. Rena experienced abusive and aggressive behaviour towards her by one of the housemates. This situation made her feel stressed and impacted negatively her health.
Rena contacted Home at Last intake and referral line at the end of April 2018 requesting Housing assistance. Rena explained that she wanted to leave the place she was living in but she could not afford private rental accommodation. All the issues she was facing in the house she was living in were triggering depression and anxiety. She needed help to nd secure long term accommodation and affordable housing where she could enjoy living independently.
In May, an outreach worker was allocated to assist Rena with secure and affordable housing options. Client and outreach worker worked together completing the social housing applications. In June 2018, the Department of Heath and Housing offered her a one bedroom public housing unit in one of the areas she had chosen in her housing application.
Rena was very happy and accepted the offer. She had to wait a couple of weeks to move into the property as the unit was under maintenance.
Rena signed the lease with the office of housing at the end of July and was assisted by Home at Last Removalist Service and the outreach worker to move out of her previous house and into the new one.
*not her real name