Colin’s story: “How lucky am I to be living in such a wonderful place!”
“We really look out for one another and that’s one of the best things about living at Stevenson Village.”
Colin moved into Stevenson Village years ago. He had rented a unit for many years while he was working, and more recently, had moved into a granny flat owned by his brother. However, when his brother remarried at 80 years old, Colin needed to find other accommodation.
As a caregiver for a local residential care home, Colin often worked long shifts because the people he looked after required 24-hour care. “It was demanding work and while it didn’t pay well, I loved the job,” he says. On the downside, it was very physical work, and Colin was starting to find it a bit tough. During Covid he had time to reflect and decided it was time to retire.
“I was 74 years old at that stage and because renting wasn’t a problem while I was working I hadn’t given my situation much thought until then.” However, as Colin soon found out, finding affordable rental accommodation once you’ve retired is a different proposition altogether.
“Stevenson Village was suggested by a couple of friends, so I decided to look into it,” he recalls. “I contacted HBH, knowing the demand for Stevenson Village’s low-cost accommodation was high so I wasn’t expecting to get in. “To my surprise, just a couple of months later, I received a call to say a unit had become available. I was over the moon!”
From then on, things went from good to great for Colin. “My sister joined me to meet Kylie at Stevenson Village. As we waited at the top of the road, I pointed to a lovely sunlit unit and said to my sister ‘imagine if it was that one’. It turned out it was, and I was even more delighted when we went inside and saw that it had been recently painted and carpeted. It looked so fresh, and I knew it was all going to work out well.”
“I live in a community of people who care”
Colin says he has never been happier. He loves living in a lively community with people who are all in the same boat. “We’re all around the same age and in a similar situation, which is lovely. We live in a society that is so fragmented now, but here, it’s like the old neighbourhoods I grew up in.”
The community centre regularly brings residents together and Colin says there’s always someone to chat “We don’t live in each other’s pockets, but we really look out for one another and that’s one of the best things about living here,” says Colin.
Another great benefit is that Colin no longer needs to worry about money as much, as the rent is set to be affordable. “It’s such a relief, and if I’m careful, I even have a bit left over each month,” he says.
Colin also praises the staff at HBH, who manage Stevenson Village. “They are incredibly supportive, and I’m surrounded by a community of people who care. My life has got much better – I was worried I’d be lonely and neglected, but I’m very happy here. I feel so fortunate that charitable organisations like HBH exist and provide affordable rental accommodation for seniors. How lucky am I to be living in such a wonderful place!”