Two days ago Tamia Hood was homeless.
Now she and her four-year-old son Grayson have somewhere to call home — a two-bedroom unit in Bairnsdale, ABC News.
The 22-year-old had been waiting patiently for two years on the Victorian Housing Register for social housing to become available.
During that time, Ms Hood and Grayson had been sleeping in a caravan on the banks of Bung Yarnda, the lake which surrounds Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust.
They had been moved a few times by department workers and service providers to crisis accommodation when it became available.
But it wasn't until the ABC contacted the state minister for housing, and Ms Hood's story was told, that she was offered the Bairnsdale unit.
Ms Hood said she packed her bags as soon as she received the phone call and moved in.
Ms Hood said she hoped her cultural awareness and lived experience would help other Indigenous people to find their way into housing and career paths.
Several Indigenous people living on country are being told to move to higher ground to avoid danger at the Murray River in the state's north.
"There's a lot of non-Indigenous workers who don't really understand," Ms Hood said.
"I think … I'd be able to understand and talk to them in a way that non-Indigenous workers can't.
"I think it would make them feel a bit more comfortable, as well, having someone like me, who's like them, be able to help them."
She said more Indigenous social workers would help to break cycles of unemployment and homelessness.
FULL STORY
Gippsland single mum Tamia Hood offered home in Bairnsdale after two-year wait (ABC News)
PHOTO
Tamia Hood, 22, has moved into a new home with her son, Grayson.(ABC Gippsland: Bec Symons)
