How St John of God Horizon House provided Troy with a home and taught him valuable life skills
After moving out of home due to domestic violence at the age of 17, Troy not only found a stable roof over his head at Horizon House, but also learned valuable life skills.
15 Apr 2025
St John of God Horizon House gave Troy stability and clarity at a time when he didn’t have much of that in his life.
Troy, who will soon turn 20, was forced to move out of home at 17 due to domestic violence. While he initially found refuge at his aunt’s house, it was not a long-term solution.
With the help of The Orange Door, a Victorian based organisation that provides help to people experiencing family violence, Troy found St John of God Horizon House and made an application.
“Living out of home and having to find somewhere to live and think about my future was all very new to me, as was the interview for Horizon House where I had to talk about what I’m doing with myself and my plans for the future,” Troy said.
St John of God Horizon House provides safe, stable accommodation and support to people aged 16-22 years who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and supports the development of essential skills to help them live independently.
Caregivers connect residents with appropriate community-based support and clinical services and support them to develop the skills needed to achieve their goals and realise their potential.
For Troy, the life skills he learnt at St John of God Horizon House have been invaluable.
“Horizon House really helped me flourish. During my time there I was able to learn how to cook, clean, drive, manage a budget, and do my taxes.
“Thanks to these skills, I was able to get a job at McDonalds, as well as my motorcycle licence.”
Troy says having mentors and youth workers available at all times to talk to and get life guidance from helped point him in the right direction. He credits one Horizon House worker in particular – Kelly – for helping him get to where he is today.
“Kelly was very proactive and assisted me a lot during my time at Horizon House. She took the time to tell me how it really is and helped me clearly determine the future that I wanted to achieve for myself, as well as how I could actually make it happen.”
Troy says it is not just the support he received from youth workers at Horizon House that helped shape his future, but also the connection and community he was able to build with others while there.
“The house I stayed in had a maximum capacity of four people at any one time, and while different people came and went during that time, I made a lot of good connections and friends that I’m still in contact with.
“Being in that environment definitely helped form a sense of community and is one that I still carry with me today.
“Applying to Horizon House is one of the better choices I’ve made in my life. It has definitely influenced the choices I’ve made for my future in a positive way.”
Troy has recently applied to join the police force where he hopes to start on a new career path and has signed up for the Australian Defence Force as a reserve.
You can learn more about St John of God Horizon House by visiting the website.