Your financial support continues to assist Uniting Vic.Tas in helping people gain access to affordable accommodation.
Each day, if you were to go out with Uniting Vic.Tas workers, you would see rough sleepers who have jobs and go to work.
You would also see mums with children, fleeing from violent partners, and whole families couch surfing, living in their cars, or camping in tents.
And you would meet caring young mums like Grace* who urgently needed a safe home for her two young daughters Esther* and Rebekah*.
You’ve probably never thought that you may become homeless yourself, and neither did Grace.
“I always thought I’d have some sort of stable environment to be in,” she admits.
“I never thought I would end up in that position.”
But then Grace learned a devastating fact.
Her partner of seven years, a man she was financially reliant on, was using drugs, which created an environment that was not safe for Esther and Rebekah.
Grace had to leave.
“It was a massive shock to me,” Grace recalls.
“There was a lot of anger, sadness, fear … it was a very hard moment.
“I never planned on becoming a single parent, and I expected to spend the rest of our lives together.”
That’s all it takes. One unexpected event to rip you from the safety and warmth of your home.
Grace faced a hard choice.
She didn’t want to keep her girls in an unsafe home.
She had to leave for their sake, but where would she and her two girls live?
Diagnosed as legally blind at the age of two meant the odds were stacked against Grace.
Trying to find rental accommodation with two young daughters, a disability and limited funds felt almost impossible.
“I’m happy to make sacrifices with what I buy to afford rent, but landlords don’t want to take the risk,” Grace says.
“There is a massive stigma around single mums with houses.”
And her disability also means she can’t just live in any house.
“I need very specific lighting to be able to see, and I have to know my environment,” Grace says.
“If it’s dark, I can’t see at all.
“Also, I do rely on walking around and public transport, so, I definitely need to be in an area where it’s easy to get to shops and the things I need.
“Going somewhere I’ve never been before is a constant anxiety-ridden thing.”
A friend suggested Grace reach out to Uniting Vic.Tas for help.
Uniting Vic.Tas workers were able to step in to plead Grace’s case with real estate agents.
They argued her disability and two children wouldn’t stop her from maintaining a home.
Grace applied for more than 40 houses and finally, with extra help from family and with Uniting Vic.Tas assisting with the bond, she was approved.
Uniting Vic.Tas then helped provide a new washing machine, other appliances and furniture to make her new house feel like a home.
“Without help from Uniting Vic.Tas, I would have ended up couch surfing or living in a share house, which would have been difficult with the girls,” Grace says.
“It was literally life changing.”
You can help Uniting Vic.Tas share the warmth this winter with a donation today, so they can support more families who need a safe home. You can donate here
*Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the people featured. The photo accompanying this story is for illustrative purposes only and is not a photo of the people featured in this story.
