Jacob’s Story – “we’re in the right hands”

November 18, 2022

Words by Jacob Lane – Argyle Housing Client

“Hi, my name’s Jacob Lane. I work at Southside Leagues Club, and I’m currently taking over their kitchen. So that’s a new experience for me. When we first started with Argyle (Housing), we were a family of five recently with a newborn baby, and we were all living in one bedroom and they got us out into a house in Pioneer that had a couple of rooms and (it) just was a godsend when we tried everything through the real estates, nothing could help us.

It was the current housing market; everybody was fighting for it. I’d just lost my father; I was in a bad mental way and just competing with people. I wasn’t up for it. It was just, we’d hand things in, we’d get denied on the basis that I wasn’t full time (and) I couldn’t afford to keep paying the rent and that didn’t matter for a second to Argyle (Housing), they helped us anyway.

Anytime we’ve talked to Jenny or Luisa they’ve given us that feeling of “we’re in the right hands, we’re being taken care of”. And it’s just taken a lot of stress off a younger family. Having a safe place to call home that I didn’t have to worry about set me on the career path that I’m on now.

I started as a bartender at South Side. I was there for three weeks with my confidence and ability, they sent me to run the North Side venue, which is what I’ve been doing for the last year and a half. Now they want me to do the same for the kitchen because we’ve recently lost our head chef and I’m a baker and pastry chef by trade, so I can sort of step straight in there and take it over.

So, without housing and not having to worry about stuff like that, I never would have got on the career path that I’m going on now, and it’s the first time that I’ve had a chance at a career, not just a job.

They helped us get social housing through the real estate was our first one, and now the one that we’ve just moved into is affordable housing owned by Argyle (Housing).

And that’s what Jenny’s helped us set up because she knew even though we were right in the house, that we were in, that it wasn’t big enough for our family, it was a bad area for the family. And have been working for probably the last 12 months for us to try and get somewhere nicer. There were times where I couldn’t even leave my mower out the front in the area that we were living in, without it being knocked off.

So, it’s things like that, that we don’t have to worry about anymore. We moved into our new house and there’s an old lady that lives next door as we were moving in and coming back and forth with the loads. She left a note on our door saying, “Let me know when yous are all moved in, and I’ll make you a pie.” So that’s the sort of area we’ve moved into now, and it’s just beautiful.

What they’ve done for us, I couldn’t put into words to thank them. I really couldn’t. I know where I am now because of Argyle (Housing). I’d hate to think of where I would be without them. Just, they saved my life. The community support that they offered me made me feel like there was still somebody out there that cared, which put me back on my feet.

To be me. And I care. I care about everybody. I’d throw the jumper off my back to help a homeless man who was cold, and it got me back to being that. It can only get better from where you are and stick with it because Argyle (Housing) will help you.”