Kevin’s journey: from living in his car to giving back to his community

Today, Kevin is part of an active group of residents who volunteer to help their community in a public housing development in Auckland. He helps run a food rescue initiative that brings people together and supports those doing it tough.

Kevin moved to New Zealand from Manchester with his parents when he was 17. He trained as a panel beater and worked in the trade for decades.

“As a panel beater you’re up and down all the time, and I ended up with a bad knee. Eventually I just couldn’t do it anymore,” he says.

“In the last couple of months I worked, I had to get the apprentices to pull me up off the ground. I’m on the waiting list for a new knee, but I had to go on a benefit.”

After his relationship ended, Kevin couldn’t afford rent on his own. He moved into his car for 6 months, sometimes sleeping in a supermarket car park right across from the building site that would become his home.

“It was alright living in my car - interesting the things you see. But it was boring nothing to do. No TV. I’d go to the library for coffee and books or walk around the park, but not too far because of my knee.”

“I didn’t tell anyone where I was living. I didn’t want charity, I’m too proud,” he says.

Eventually, police intervened and helped him get into transitional housing. Kevin spent a year there, sharing a house with strangers.

“There was no privacy, and once I paid rent, I had next to nothing for food or petrol. Some weeks I just ate dried food or chips. That made me understand how much people struggle to put food on the table.”

Then came the text from that he has never deleted:

“Come down and have a look at a flat we have available.”

Kevin moved into his apartment a few days later with two black sacks and a couch from a mate.

“When I moved in, I didn’t know anyone. We were all strangers.” Now, things are different. “There’s community here now. I feel like I’m part of something. That’s why I got involved I wanted to give back.”

Kevin helps run weekly food distributions with rescued food from Kiwi Harvest. Residents draw numbers, share a cuppa, and chat while waiting for their turn.

“People hang out in the community room longer now. You hear neighbours saying hello in the corridors because they’ve met in that community room. We came together as strangers and built trust.”

The experience has changed him. “I think of other people more now. I used to turn a blind eye to other people going through hard times. Nowadays I feel guilty if I do that. Being part of this community has helped me so I want to help others, to give back.”