THE man who epitomises Tamworth's homeless crisis slept in a bed for the first time in months last night thanks to the generosity of a complete stranger.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
THE man who epitomises Tamworth's homeless crisis slept in a bed for the first time in months last night thanks to the generosity of a complete stranger.
Dennis, whose inability to find work left him living out of his car on a Tamworth roadside, gratefully accepted an offer of ongoing accommodation yesterday afternoon.
The plight of the 53-year-old and his beloved dog featured on The Leader's front page on Saturday and captured the hearts of countless residents.
A local woman, who did not wish to be named, got in touch with Dennis through The Leader to offer him a bed and possibly even some part-time work in the future.
Dennis said he was "overwhelmed" by the kindness shown to him not just by the woman, but by many others who had sought him out since the article ran.
"It's a nice kindness and I'm glad for it, but I would also like to give back and until I get a job I can't give back," the qualified fitter machinist and welder said.
"But if I'm given jobs around here then I'll do them every day."
Dennis, who did not wish to make his surname public, had been sleeping in his car after the factory where he worked went bust earlier in the year. He had moved to Tamworth to work there.
He has applied for more than 100 jobs across the country without success and is adamant his age is counting against him.
Now he has an almost fully self-contained granny flat with a single bed, refrigerator, micro-wave and more at his disposal.
The woman who brought Dennis into not just her life but her home said she felt Australian society was wrongly devaluing its older residents.
“I’ve got something (accommodation) that somebody else wants,” she said.
“And on top of that, that person wants a job.
“There’s a segment of our society that doesn’t want a job, so the fact that someone wants a job should be rewarded.”