Uber Eats Australia — Helping The Homeless Get Some Stability Back…?
By: Jaehkoeb Aarisenko
Tags: Uber Driver, Uber, Homelessness, UberEATS, Resilience

A Story Of A Guy That Lived In His Car For 9 Months Delivering For Uber Eats

Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash

I’ve read an article or two about Uber Eats, and I’ve heard a few opinions on the services they offer on my journey thusfar… although I’m not one to dwell on a negative story, I prefer the good news stories that showcase how we are doing great things on our planet… helping one another rise up and truly know what it means to be human as part of this global community of ours.

There’s this guy that I know… he was on Centrelink, which essentially made him a dole bludger… although it wasn’t that he wasn’t capable of working, he just couldn’t get a job, and as his story goes:

“Then one day as I was buying lunch or dinner (I can’t remember exactly), for some reason an Uber Eats rider caught my attention and I eventually decided to download the app and signup to start delivering food… I wasn’t having any luck with my other job applications, and figured that if my application for this comes through successful: then I can just ‘borrow’ one of the broken share bikes scattered around the city until I could afford my own”

So basically, he’s living in his car because the government handouts that he was receiving weren’t enough to get even one of the cheapest rooms available for rent… he’s got a gym membership so he has a place to shower, he’s doing his best to cook meals on a portable stove on the front seat of his car, and trying to make sure his health doesn’t deteriorate too much as he traverses this tight rope of a situation he finds himself in… that’s about as close to homeless one would want to get, not exactly an ideal situation to say the least.

However as luck would have it, getting some work with Uber Eats managed to save him from losing it all… because it seems that there really isn’t much of a support structure in Australia to help those in need, you either find a way or you either find a way… and thanks to Uber Eats this guy found a way :)

Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

“My first shift I managed to earn $40 or so before my phone battery ran dry, and I thought to myself…YES! I can definitely do this… I can get out of the back seat of my car and finally stretch my legs in a normal size bed again… although it took a little longer that expected as I had some health issues which were also costing me money, so I was in a bit of a pickle to say the least!”

I spoke with the guy and he explained to me how he was hearing voices as part of his mental health diagnosis… although over the course of trying different things, he knew that there was a cure, however: medications were not the answer as they didn’t really help and just made him a bit of a zombie. He just needed the money to continue on his path of finding what does and doesn’t work when dealing with such a health issue, the medical system just prescribes drugs to try and mask the symptoms… he though was looking for a cure, as he was suspecting this was more of a lifestyle illness than a mental one. Not exactly mainstream thinking, although valid nonetheless.

Thus he was on a journey to better himself, better his health, better his life situation, and to evolve into a new version of himself that was much grander than the alcoholic/junkie that he was in the past… a lifestyle that could very well have put him in such a situation in the first place.

He had to move from the city that he signed up in because it was getting too cold to sleep at night… and it took about 9 months before he could take the first step of getting out of his car and into a boarding house, and then further move to another share house, before finally getting his own apartment. Which is a great example of how someone can move forward in life, even if things may seem a little dire and difficult… he even scored a role in one of their ads which paid $3000 for the day, and that probably was the pinnacle of it all.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

[INSERT VIDEO HERE] That’s what he had planned for this blog post which outlines his story on how he actually got cast for the ad. Although he never received news of whether the footage was even useful… either way, a days work is a days work and a job well done is a job well done.

So there you have it, a true blue Aussie battler that has had a bit of a hard time, yet still managed to pull through and get his life back on track… and from what I hear has well and truly overcome his mental illness with many little yet profound lifestyle changes, and I’m hoping he continues on such a path to cure himself and then help others do the same…

“Delivering food for a company such as Uber Eats can have it’s benefits. You have complete autonomy regarding working hours (just log on or log off as you please), the money is just as good as any other job (especially if you work during the known peak periods and booster sessions), you can pick and choose what areas to deliver for (sometimes it’s nice to try new suburbs for a change of scenery if delivering full time), the app is super easy to use (all you need is a functioning smart phone), and you have plenty of free time to pursue other passion projects (such as this blog, studies, or simply chilling by the beach working on your tan).”

Those are his words as to some of the benefits of working as a food courier… sure there are negative stories circulating the internet, although if we focus on the positives… maybe just maybe we can help shape a culture of empowered and proactive thought, as opposed to the negative nellies that like to complain and focus on things that are wrong with society.

In conclusion…

I read somewhere that women sometimes just want men to listen and not exactly reply or come up with a solution to their problems, they just want to vent and then get on with things… which is all well and good, although as homelessness goes I feel that there should be more of a push to try and help people that wish for that kind of dignity. Not everyone wishes to receive government handouts, for not only are they minute compared to what you may earn in a job or self employed via an app like Uber Eats, but they don’t allow you to express yourself as a human wishing to grow and become a better version of themselves… which is what we all should be doing anyway.

So next time you decide you want to get some takeout, maybe consider ordering via an app like Uber Eats… you could be helping someone get off the streets, out of the car, and into their very own bed… how’s that for an altruistic and philanthropic point of view relating to food delivery apps? Who ever said that you need to donate to charity to help those in need!