Liam came onto the 1st R U BUSY? program for 2014 facing many barriers, homelessness being one of them. Liam was referred to the program by Lawson House (youth homeless accommodation) and even after the R U BUSY? program had finished, Liam went from homeless shelters on the Gold Coast to Brisbane, then back to living with his parents on a short term basis as an emergency option.
Liam was passionate about getting an apprenticeship as a mechanic and struggled to find employment in this industry. However he started to look towards the future and develop his resume by gaining a forklift licence and completing a Certificate II in Automotive and Certificate III in Warehousing. Although the R U BUSY? program had finished, Liam never gave up on trying to find work and continued to come into the BUSY Beat Hub to get extra assistance and help. After 4 months Liam was still coming into BUSY and applying for jobs, when he finally got the call back for an interview.
Youth Project Officer Rebecca drove him to Yatala to have his interview and a week later Liam got the good news that he had been the successful candidate. The same day he got the call from the employer, Liam went for his Provisional license exam and was awarded with his P plates. Liam was ecstatic that all his hard work had paid off.
‘I didn’t have a job or my license and now I have both – this job is going to set me up for the rest of my life’.
For Rebecca, Liam’s achievements were overwhelming, and she has nothing but praise for his commitment to his goals:
‘I have seen Liam go through many emotions over the past 7 months and struggled with the uncertainty of his living arrangements. Liam has always used the BUSY Beat Hub as a safe environment to visit as well as keeping me up to date with how his life is going. When Liam rang to say he got the job, I was a bit emotional as I know the struggles he has faced and now he won’t ever have to go through that again. I honestly feel so blessed to know a person like Liam and that he is now making positive changes in his life. I’m looking forward to all the great things he can achieve – the endless possibilities!’
