Support that helps rebuild a life - Suzi's story

“My kids were always asking, ‘mum where are we going to sleep?’” — Suzi*

Homelessness that happened in a moment

Sometimes your whole life can be turned completely upside down in one crushing moment. For Suzi, that moment came when she was forced out of her family home, with no safe place for her children to stay.

After the sudden loss of her mum, things changed in ways Suzi could never have predicted. Home was no longer safe as Suzi’s father became increasingly threatening and violent. With nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to pack what she could into the car and get her children out before one of them was hurt.

“There were days we drove around shopping centre carparks while I tried to think of places to go. But we had nowhere.”

Nowhere to turn

Desperate to keep her children safe, Suzi did everything she could to shield them from the reality of their situation — but she began to feel increasingly hopeless.

“I was awake all hours of the night looking and applying for rentals, but there was nothing I could afford. It was horrible! I just couldn’t see a way out.”

With her options severely limited, Suzi made the difficult decision to ask family for help, which meant her children had a safe place to sleep — even though she had to spend nights alone in her car.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was so stuck.”

A place to call home

At her most desperate, Suzi reached out to The Salvation Army — and that’s when everything began to change.

With support from a dedicated Salvos case worker, Suzi and her children were able to find a safe place to call home, along with the care and support they needed to rebuild their lives.

“Tears rolled down my cheeks when I first saw the home the Salvos found us.”

Now, Suzi has a place where her children can feel safe and secure, and a future filled with hope.

“I’m still in shock. I stand outside and just look at my home and think about how the Salvos saved us, they honestly did.”

^{* Name and some details have been changed to protect privacy.}