Tenant stories - Michelle Harris
Michelle Harris says that the decision to leave a violent relationship is one of the bravest and hardest decisions a woman can make, and finding safe and secure housing is one of the most important steps towards recovery. This isn't just her speaking from experience as a domestic violence support worker, it is also her own personal experience.
After spending eight years in a violent relationship, Michelle left her partner and took her four children to a refuge in Ballarat. As she says
'One minute you've got your life and all your possessions... you think you own everything. The next thing you have nothing. No home, no possessions.'
She spent six months in the refuge, before she was offered temporary housing in Shepparton where she had family. She said her first choice was Melbourne, but then her partner moved to Melbourne and she decided 'Melbourne wasn't big enough!'
After living in temporary housing for a short time, she and her children moved into a long term Office of Housing home in Shepparton. Securing a roof over her head was a turning point for Michelle.
'Because I had lost everything, it was my security. You could apply for jobs without worrying if you were going to have to move. Kids could make friends and start school. This was our home. Having the house gave me back my confidence and self esteem. I thought 'I can do this'.
While completing a 'going back to work' program, she was practising writing CVs and job applications, when she came across the domestic violence support worker position and thought that with her life experience it could be a job where she could make a difference. She applied for the job, and was offered the position.
Since then she has accepted a new domestic violence support worker position in Warrnambool, and has moved out of public housing and into private rental with her new partner in Terang while they look for a property to buy.
Two of her boys have moved down to Melbourne to study, one is studying to be an engineer and the other to be a mechanic, and she says she couldn't have done this without the crisis accommodation and public housing she received.
'There's a reason you go into public housing, and it's usually not a good one. So all of those goals you had before do get a little diminished. But what the Office of Housing provides with the security of a home, is to rebuild and achieve those goals. It really is just a stepping stone to get back on track and achieve your goals.'
