‘It can happen to anyone’: Homeless Adelaide man’s journey of hope

Six months ago, Phillip Nancarrow found himself homeless at the age of 74. Today, he’s planting the lawn at his new home. Here is his story.

Phillip Nancarrie fell on hard times, but has recently found a home in Northfield. Photo: Naomi Jellicoe

Phillip Nancarrow is planting a lawn out the front of his new home.

It’s something the 74-year-old did not imagine he would be doing six months ago, when he found himself homeless for the first time in his life and burning through his limited savings to pay for cheap motel rooms.

The retired safety professional, who worked in oil, gas, mining and construction companies in Australia, China and the Middle East, knows he is one of the lucky ones.

Phillip Nancarrow at his new home in Northfield. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

With the support of the Hutt St Centre, he has secured community housing in Northfield, where he lives in a renovated two-bedroom property.

“Having been homeless makes me even more grateful,” said Mr Nancarrow, who grew up in Broken Hill and then spent 29 years living in Adelaide before travelling interstate and eventually overseas for work.

“I never thought I’d be homeless. It just goes to show it could be anyone – a few bad decisions or bad luck and then you’ve got nowhere to live.”

Mr Nancarrow said his Chinese wife stayed in her home of Xhuhai, where she worked as a chef. He arrived in Adelaide earlier this year and headed straight to the Hutt St Centre, which helped him apply for his pension and register for community housing.

It took another six months of staying in cheap motels or youth hostels before he became eligible for a home.

“I got within a week of running out of money and having to think about living on the streets,” said Mr Nancarrow, who now contributed a third of his pension towards his rent.

Phillip Nancarrow at his Northfield home: “I never thought I’d be homeless.” Photo: Naomi Jellicoe

“I still can’t believe that I got the house, it’s just more than I ever thought I’d get.

“It’s no good feeling sorry for yourself, if you make a decision you’ve got to live with it. You’ve got to try to help yourself. I had a positive attitude … I made it easier for them to help me.

“With the help of (the Hutt St Centre) and others, I’m getting on my feet. I come here and get lunch, go to Foodbank to get food.”

The Advertiser’s Be Their Champion campaign is calling for more positive outcomes like Mr Nancarrow’s for homeless South Australians who are struggling with their mental, emotional and physical health.

The campaign questions the state government’s emergency accommodation program, which is managed by charities and has certain demands that must be obeyed, including applying for a prescriptive number of rental properties every week.

Hutt St Centre chief executive Chris Burns.

Hutt St Centre chief executive Chris Burns has backed The Advertiser’s campaign, saying it is “always good to highlight what society can do to make it better for those experiencing homelessness”.

“It makes people aware and want to find a solution and we support that,” he said.

Mr Burns said he empathised with homeless families who were being forced to apply for rental properties that they would not be considered for.

“It’s just demoralising when you know you are not going to be successful,” he said.

Mr Burns said Hutt St Centre, which was part of the Toward Home alliance but was not involved in the emergency accommodation program, called on the state government to not “tighten up the rules, release the budget”.

He said a solution to the city’s chronic housing crisis was to convince landlords of empty city properties to rent to homeless people by underwriting their insurance and providing financial incentives or subsidies.

“We have to boost our stocks of social housing or find housing that can be used for social housing,” he said.

“There’s over 2000 vacant privately owned residences in Adelaide. We need to incentivise them to use their properties for social housing.”