Where do you find your home?

Depending on what your situation is, everybody's understanding of home is different. In reference to #HomelessnessWeek, in this episode, Jacqui touches on the challenges in housing across Australia that are wide spread, but she also covers a more personal side of the idea of ‘home’. She asks listeners to consider: “How do we find ourselves at home in our heart?” 

Jacqui reflects on the devastating reality of homelessness and how situational displacement is occurring every day in the Community Services sector as the face of housing and homelessness looks different in 2024.

“Despite these situations that people may find themselves in at different times in their life, I want to tap into the home that you have in your heart, and in your life, and the choices that you make that you own.” she said.

If there is anything that comes up for you that may be triggering in this Podcast, please reach out to your relevant mental health services. I will put the service details for Perth, WA below.

If you or anyone you know needs help, contact:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• St Patrick’s Community Support Centre on (08) 6372 4800 
• St Barts on (08) 9323 5100
• Ruah Community Services on 13 78 24
• St Vincent De Paul on (08) 9228 1478 or 13 18 12
• Shelter WA on (08) 9325 6660 (WA State Office) 
• Anglicare WA Housing Support on 1300 11 44 46 
• Mission Australia Housing Support Program on (08) 9225 0400 (WA State Office)
• Women’s Domestic Violence Line on 9223 1188 or 1800 007 339 (country)
• Men’s Domestic Violence Line on 9223 1199 or 1800 000 599
• Crisis Care on 9223 1111
• 1800 Respect on 1800 737 732
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
• Headspace on 1800 650 890

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: U6EWJCDDX8XNCHJ7

Transcript

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Episode Transcript:

Where do you find your home?    

If there is anything that comes up for you that may be triggering in this Podcast, please reach out to your relevant mental health services. I will put the service details for Perth, WA in the episode description. Hello, it’s Jacqui here. Welcome to another episode of Community Creatives.

So, this week we are celebrating Homelessness Week. Now, homelessness is a big topic, and certainly with the cost of living being what it is, and the rental vacancy rate being at record lows across WA, where I’m based, and Australia nationally, we are in crisis! 

Now, this is not the actual episode where I’m going to tell you more about that. Feel free to follow my advocacy work and my writing if you want more on these topics. 

I'd love to share them with you, and I would love to offer you some hope. 

Depending on what your situation is, everybody's understanding of home is different. Now, I know, coming from Australia, that I am coming from a place of privilege. I am a white woman, with one child. And I am very aware of my privilege. My advocacy would never come from a place that would fall short of the ideals of what could be achieved, if we had the resources. 

Yes, of course, we could do so much more. Now I know that this is a touchy topic, so today I want to focus predominantly on: ‘Where do you find your home?’

Now home, as I said, looks different for everybody. Now, where you live isn't the point I'm going with.What the interior or exterior of your house looks like, or how big your square footage is, or what street do you live on in your neighbourhood. I want to take the time.To leave this with you. For you to ask yourself: “Where do you find your home?”

It's easy to feel at home when we look around in this space that we are in and we feel content, and we feel cared for.

Now again, I know that is not always the case.That is not lost on me working in the community services sector, in housing and in support. I am very aware that that is not the case for many people; and those people have my heart. But despite these situations that people may find themselves in at different times in their life, I want to tap into the home that you have in your heart, and in your life. And the choices that you make that you own.

Yes. And I, I know that sometimes when we feel out of control and, we just don't have anything we can call our own in terms of what we have power over? I'm coming to tell you today that you have a choice in how you feel about a situation and how you react to that situation. Nobody gets to tell you how you feel.

So, how do we find ourselves at home in our heart? Well, that’s a personal question really. It depends on who you're asking. I think it's really important to take a step back and to say if money wasn't a problem, if I engage in blue-sky-thinking, nothing is off limits - what could my life look like? What would it look like? How would I spend my time? What would I love to do? 

Now. Take a breath and let's strip it all back and go from there.Tell me, if you're not working, if you don't need to worry about money, if you don't need to worry about the stresses in your life, what makes you truly happy? What makes you light up inside when you talk about what you love? And how you like to spend your time. Where do you find your home? It's so important that we connect with that and understand what our heart is telling us. And really listen.

I don't have all the answers even for myself, but I'm really, really trying to listen. And I hope as we reflect on our home and our lives, this week, and always, that we can really connect with where we find ourselves at home and make that a reality. No matter what our situation is.

All my love,

Jacqui 

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