Testimonials

Allison experienced prolonged domestic violence and resorted to self-medication to address her trauma, which resulted in her children being removed from her care. She was referred to and completed The Salvation Army’s Towards Independence program, as well as other courses required by Department of Child Protection. 

Allison had two very successful transitional tenancies — one with Towards Independence and one with Salvation Army Housing, where she continued to received outreach support from Towards Independence. While in our property, Allison was allowed contact visits with her children, which eventually extended to overnight stays. Her hard work was rewarded, and her young children were returned to her care full-time. 

A three-bedroom property became available near the children’s school, and we transferred her to a long-term property within Salvation Army Housing. Allison is determined and with her optimistic attitude, has achieved her goal with the support she has received from The Salvation Army.

Isobell was referred to Salvation Army Housing by a domestic violence crisis service. She had sustained multiple head traumas and knee damage from the violence, resulting in a permanent disability and significant mental health challenges. 

When Isobell came to us, she had custody of her daughter and receiving support services. However, after a triggering event, had a severe decline in her mental health. She was unable to maintain her home or pay rent, leading to the removal of her daughter. Salvation Army Housing reconnected Isobell with domestic violence support services, helping her gradually regain stability. Within 12 months, Isobell was reunited with her daughter. 

Over the past two years, Isobell has maintained her tenancy, kept her rent current, and created a stable and nurturing home environment. She has started studying to build a better future for herself and has given back to the community that continues to support her. 

Zahra arrived in Australia in 2015 and married her Australian husband in 2018. She faced significant emotional and physical abuse but feared leaving him due to potential shame and rejection from her family in her home country. In 2020, her local doctor identified signs of abuse and connected her with the Family Violence Response Centre. Zahra was subsequently placed in a short-term refuge by Salvation Army Housing. With support from staff and community services, she began to rebuild her confidence and engage with support services. 

Zahra later moved to a long-term refuge, where she continued her recovery, completed an English as a Second Language course, and secured employment. Now saving to start her own business, she volunteers her time and skills to support others in her community. Despite losing contact with much of her family due to cultural stigma, she is committed to raising awareness about family violence and plans to use her experiences to help others facing similar challenges. 

At his worst, Joshua weighed 48 kgs, was deeply depressed and in constant pain. Although he’d worked all his life, a serious back injury finally meant he was unable to work at all. Joshua said his outlook turned very black.

Unable to secure affordable housing, Joshua found himself homeless and slept on couches where he could, and at times also slept rough, and started drinking heavily to numb the pain. A Salvos outreach worker found Joshua and connected him a financial counsellor at Moneycare. Joshua was case managed through Salvo Connect and offered crisis accommodation, then placed into community housing with Salvation Army Housing.  

An opening came up in a long-term housing property which he was put forward for. He wrote to thank The Salvation Army team saying he is looking forward for the opportunity to now volunteer himself to help others and wrote: “I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You are all doing a very special job”. 

Moving from living in a caravan in their son's driveway to a home of their own was life-changing for Colleen and Bill Johnson.

The pair are among those who benefited from the Salvation Army's social housing project in Cobden, which officially opened 11 December 2024.

Mrs Johnson said when medical issues forced her to stop working the couple had no option but to move out of their rented Adelaide home and live in a caravan at her son's Warrnambool address in September 2024.

She said while being close to family was lovely, living in a caravan was less than ideal.

"It was really important for us just to be able to have that stable and more suitable housing" she said. "The caravan wasn't really suitable with my medical health.

I've got back issues and I've got to have surgery on my knees, so just going up and down the steps into the caravan was very, very difficult."

The 62-year-old said the couple also lived with two Labradoodles, Bowie and Cricket, meaning the space was quite cramped.

The Johnsons said their refurbished home was "a big step up from the caran", which they moved into on Saturday, December 7, 2024.

"This is a really great initiative for older people to have somewhere that is a little community because we're all in a similar sort of situation," Mrs Johnson said.

Salvation Army's Colonel Kelvin Merrett said the initiative gave people certainty about their living situation.

"I think one of the keys here is this is long-term accomodation", he said.

"So people have got some security. They're not here for two months, three months, then thinking,"oh gee wht's my next step".

He said the Salvation Army hoped to expland the project but given the previous round of funding took several years to secure, they would take it one step at a time.