Young, married, and living in community housing with 28 men.

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When the pandemic hit, plenty of us reassessed our lives: changing jobs, leaving relationships, taking up a new hobby.

Jayden and Mikyla Battey, a married couple in their 20s, did their own soul-searching and, as a result, decided to move into community housing with 28 men who are at risk of homelessness and face mental health issues and challenging life circumstances.

They were looking for a deeper way of living alongside others. They’ve found that as House Managers at Hamer Court, an affordable housing initiative run by the group Servants.

In this Life & Faith episode, Jayden and Mikyla talk about the joys and the difficulties of living with vulnerable people, and what it’s like for those on the margins to find a home with each other. We also get a glimpse of what extended lockdowns meant for the residents of Hamer Court who were already socially isolated to begin with.

For Jayden, this way of life is a calling. “My understanding of the way that Jesus has called us to live our life is one where we dig deep and lean into the messy relationships. If I always kept difficult people at arm’s length, then I never have to face the reality of my own impatience and the brokenness in my own heart,” he said.

“When you live with a group of people who test you and call out your BS and tell you when you’re not loving them – well, then you realise that you have to actually rely on God to be the patient, kind, and loving person that everyone likes to think they are.”

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Explore:

The article Jayden wrote for the ABC

Servants