Learning to be a good tenant

Published: 

14 April 2021 2:34PM

Eighteen-year-old Charlie* moved into a youth shelter after he was kicked out of his family home. Charlie is transgender and found it hard to live with his parents who didn’t understand his transgender journey. The youth shelter referred him to the Skillsets for Successful Tenancies – Dollars and Sense training, to help him gain the skills to live in a place of his own.

Skillsets for Successful Tenancies - Dollars and Sense is a free course for Queenslanders who want to learn how to secure and sustain a tenancy. The course is developed and delivered by the Tenancy Skills Institute, and through it, students learn their rights and responsibilities, how to manage their finances and how to communicate with their landlord.

“I learnt how to clean the house and that it’s my responsibility to keep the place looking good. I can make the house my own space,” Charlie said.

After completing the course, Charlie requested support to manage his tenancy. He was assigned case manager Nat from InCommunity.

“Our service exists to assist those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and we seek to break the cycle. That’s why we continue to support clients, particularly young people, once they are housed to help them maintain their tenancy,” Nat said.

“My role is to empower him to make good choices until the first inspection. I help Charlie problem solve. I also give Charlie advice and direction.

“As Charlie has flatmates, I have also taught him how to negotiate with new people coming into the house.”

Learn more about the Skillsets for Successful Tenancies - Dollars and Sense training course.

*Name changed to protect privacy