A resident helps a man escape homelessness in Victoria
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A local resident in the Mornington Peninsula Shire and Victoria, Australia, provided a man with a caravan and a place to stay to help him escape life on the streets.
Dorothy Maafu noticed Jake Dell'Aquila living in a tent on the Rosebud foreshore with his German shepherd dog. After they began talking, Maafu invited him to her home for meals and showers.
She wanted to provide him with stability and dignity after he struggled to access help because he had a dog and the region faced a housing crisis. Maafu bought a second-hand caravan and paid for Dell'Aquila to stay in caravan parks for six months. This support allowed him to find employment and eventually secure a spot in a safe rental property. Dell'Aquila said he might still be homeless if Maafu had not stepped in to help him.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire reported high numbers of people sleeping rough in mid-2025. The area recorded 110 people as homeless in June of the previous year. Local officials attributed the rising homelessness to a lack of affordable housing, while national data shows that hundreds of thousands of people across Australia seek and are turned away from homelessness services.
