At just 20 years of age, Caleb Souter has seldom known what it’s like to have a safe place to live.
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After a relationship breakdown several months ago, Mr Souter found himself on the streets of Goulburn, slowly losing everything he had.
This was not the first time he had encountered homelessness, spending a year on the streets of Sydney and two months in Cooma as a teenager.
The chance to move to Batemans Bay was just the fresh start he was after. His lifeline came in the form of a bed at Batemans Bay men’s refuge, Hope House.
Six months on, Mr Souter has just moved into accommodation of his own with a fellow Hope House resident through a rental subsidy scheme.
The private rental scheme, Rent Choice Youth, helps young people who are aged between 16 and 24 years and are at risk of homelessness to find a stable place to live and receive a discount on their rent.
For low-income earners in the Eurobodalla region, finding a place to rent under $200 a week is near impossible.
The program has enabled Mr Souter and his housemate to sign off on a six-month lease for $82.50 a week each.
Mr Souter said the state government scheme had been life changing.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this before; I’ve never had this much assistance before,” he said.
“It’s opened up a couple of doors. This is not something to waste.”
Hope House manager Shirley Diskon said it was often difficult for people in Mr Souter’s position to find a real estate agent or landlord willing to take them on.
She said the scheme was vital in a rental market where affordable housing, especially for those on welfare, was scarce.
“For the youth, it’s so hard for them to get anywhere, so this subsidy changes lives,” Mrs Diskon said.
“It rebuilds lives. I think this subsidy is a very good initiative and gives people like Caleb a chance.
“It’s so hard to get young people into accommodation, so I think it goes a long way towards tackling youth homelessness.”
With the help of kind members of the community, Mr Souter has almost finished furnishing his new home.
Looking ahead, he plans to start work as a traffic controller and already has work locked in at Perisher at the end of the month.