A 24-year-old named Antony* was in the public housing towers with his younger brother and parents when they heard that they were going into immediate lockdown. “Being told to stay at home, and not leave for two weeks was a shock for all of us.”
They usually do the shopping on a Sunday, and it was Saturday meaning they had little left on the shelf. Antony’s parents didn’t speak English and became very concerned. They kept asking, trying to understand what was going on. “They were a little panicky, wondering what was going to happen.”
Antony speaks the best English in his family, so he took on the central role of communicating to service agencies. “What helped the most was the daily check-ins from Anglicare Victoria & Co Health. To know that support structure was there if we needed something was helpful. If we were just in lockdown for two weeks with no communication, we would have become really frustrated.”
The family found it difficult receiving random grocery box with things they didn’t need or know how to use. With the help of AV and other services, special dietary requests meant the grocery deliveries got better after the first couple of days. “I’m still processing how we actually got through four weeks of isolation. I’m feeling very good; getting some sense of normality and control back in my life.”
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
