Have you ever watched a movie and been so moved by the character that they personally inspired you?
That’s what happened to Aiden, 17, when he watched Hacksaw Ridge. The story of Desmond Doss, a heroic medic who tirelessly worked to save lives on a battlefield during WWII.
Already with a keen interest in the military and aspirations for joining the Australian army, Aiden shares, “He’s a real-life person, a medic who helped a lot of people. That will be me … one day.”
Focused and steadfast in his approach to realising his goals, when we catch up with Aiden and hear all that he has achieved so far, we have every faith that he will make his dream a reality.
After ticking off the goals he set with his case manager whilst staying at Hargreaves House, inCommunity Connect’s youth crisis accommodation, Aiden has now moved into sharehouse accommodation via the SPin Housing Program: achieving his big goal of moving into long-term stable housing.
Settling into his new home with two similarly aged flatmates, he is creating his own meal plans, job searching, and regularly catching up with his Mum and siblings. What’s more, he is once again quietly determined to move through the next set of goals he has set for himself with his characteristic determination.
Reflecting on when he first arrived at Hargreaves House, Aiden shares that he was quite familiar with the type of support he might receive there, having spent time in similar crisis accommodation north of Brisbane.
“When I arrived, everyone was really nice. The case managers talked me through the rules and gave me a heads-up on how things worked. I was assigned a case manager, and we started setting my goals.
A lot of my goals focused at first on personal admin, ensuring all my banking and Centrelink details were correct and up to date. I then started working on bigger-picture goals like doctor’s appointments, driving lessons, and some volunteering to help me gain experience while looking for work.
Early into my stay, I also undertook the Tenancy Skills Institute’s course. Learning about budgeting, doing it in stages, and then being able to include the course certificate with my rental applications was very helpful.
I also built a ‘perfect’ rent history through my weekly co-payments at Hargreaves House, so with this course, my applications looked really good when I was looking for new housing,” he shares with pride.
What made this safe touchpoint even more momentous was how close he was now living to his Mum. Having left the family home on his own nine months earlier due to domestic and family violence that was becoming increasingly dangerous for him, Aiden was really happy to see her more regularly once again.
It was also a chance for his Mum to see some really positive changes within Aiden himself.
“Mum could see me becoming more and more confident in myself. I was getting out a lot more, not staying in my room. Really getting out of my comfort zone,” he shares.
A change that Aiden says was bolstered by the support of the Case Management Team at Hargreaves House.
He says, “They were very helpful. They would encourage me to do things I wasn’t used to. When I first arrived, I was really reluctant to make phone calls and respond to messages. They encouraged me and gave me confidence.
When I was job searching and nervous about interviews, they said to me, ‘You’ll do great!’ And then when I secured my new home, they were the first to congratulate me. Some things I didn’t feel comfortable with at first, I now enjoy. I think it had a lot to do with feeling safe with them.
And I would say to anyone in a situation similar to mine, it might be really rough, and you might not want to make that first phone call for help. But it will be worth it; it really makes your life better in the long term.”
So with a new chapter for Aiden now opened up, what’s next?
“I’m more confident in my own place, and my flatmates are friendly. My plans up front are to get working and start at the gym. I can then save for some furniture and a car. I also enjoy going for bike rides, and I’m a gamer. Right now, I’m enjoying a real-time strategy game that’s based on historical wars. It’s very hard, and the skills required are not easy, but it will be good to reach the higher levels in the game when I get that far.”
And of his longer-term goals, Aiden shares.
“I want to join the Army Reserves in a few years, when I’m ready. Then I’ll aim to join the infantry and work my way up to be a medic. And if that doesn’t work out, then I have my mind set on emergency services. To help people. Oh, and when I’m living more comfortably, I’m also going to help my Mum too.”
Quietly determined and with goals to live out his dream of helping people, just like his hero, we have no doubt Aiden will do just that, whilst inspiring many others along the way.
