A bright new beginning - Jessica's story

“Everywhere I looked at was just too expensive. I couldn’t even get a studio, because every time I tried to apply for one, every other man and his dog was there, and they got them before me.”

Jessica*, a single mother, worked hard to provide for her daughter Riley*, who lived with a challenging chronic health condition every day. Mum and daughter were only just getting by, crammed in a small granny flat at the back of a friend's house.

As Jessica recalls, “It was too small, just three-by-four meters. Really hard going, and the ambulance access wasn’t great for Riley, but we had our own roof.”

Troubles start to build

With the cost-of-living crisis persisting, Jessica’s friend, who was also her landlord, raised their rent.

But it didn’t stop at one increase.

With each subsequent rent hike, Jessica and Riley were pushed further to the edge of their budget — until they could no longer afford their rent. But it didn’t end there.

Jessica and Riley’s stability was shattered when the landlord eventually evicted them from their small granny flat. And despite Jessica's efforts to secure alternative housing, the relentless rise in rental prices left them with nowhere to turn.

“We became homeless the day Riley turned 7,” says Jessica. “I felt such shame.”

At breaking point

Jessica’s troubles of trying to find a home for herself and her daughter, were compounded by Riley's ongoing health needs.

Of that time, Jessica recalls, "You’re hypervigilant all the time. ‘Has she had enough sleep? Does she have enough medication? Has she eaten enough?’ You’re trying to work out what the triggers are. I have to decide whether I need to call an ambulance or not. And I’m doing this all on my own.”

The cost-of-living crisis — which has made life challenging for families on two incomes — was near impossible to navigate for Jessica, a single parent on a carer’s pension. She kept trying so hard to find a home, but was knocked back time and time again.

“Everywhere I looked at was just too expensive, at least $150 extra a week more than the $175 I was paying before. I couldn’t even get a studio, because every time I tried to apply for one, every other man and his dog was there, and they got them before me.”

A call for help

Desperate to keep her child safe and cared for, Jessica reached out to the Salvos.

Soon after, The Salvation Army was able to provide emergency accommodation. Later, Jessica and Riley were offered a real home through Salvos transitional housing.

"The day we moved into the place the Salvos found us, my jaw just hit the floor. It’s a really lovely home!" - Jessica

With support from the Salvos, Jessica and Riley found the new beginning they desperately needed — an affordable permanent home that met Riley’s needs and was near her school.

Jessica and Riley are eternally grateful for the support — physical as well as emotional — they received from the Salvos.

As Jessica says now, “The time and the care they took with us, the listening, that constant conversation to see if we were okay, if we were feeling safe, that kind of thing — that was the best part. Those things make such a difference”.

*Names changed to protect privacy