Assisting a bereaved man to access aged care and housing

Fred*, a 69 year old man, was referred to us from a homeless service as he had fallen into serious rent arrears and was at risk of becoming homeless. Fred had spent all his superannuation on palliative care and other medical expenses for his wife, and when she died he could no longer afford the rent.

We referred Fred to a financial counselling service and assisted him to reconnect his phone, which had been disconnected due to an unpaid bill. We helped Fred advocate to his late wife’s super fund to get the benefit he was entitled to, and our tenancy team used this information in VCAT to prevent a possession order from being granted. Although we halted the eviction, the property was unaffordable, so we worked with the real estate agent, the council and the Private Rental Assistance Program to find a cheaper rental. Although we helped him with a VHR application, he couldn’t wait any longer for a public or community home.  

Fred was registered with My Aged Care and was getting some meals from the council but he cancelled these as he could not afford the client contribution fee. He also had an approval for gardening but there are no providers for gardening in his area. Fred would have benefited from a Home Care Package, which is more heavily subsidised, but because he was otherwise independent, we could not get him reassessed. Our Care finder advocated for hardship provisions to be applied, so that fees could be waived for Fred, due to the high cost of his housing. However, these were only short-term.

*Name changed to protect client confidentiality