As a child growing up I would come home more than once to find my aunt’s car parked in the driveway with the boot open. I knew we were off again. By the time I was seven, my parents were divorced and my sisters and I went to live with mum. My mum worked hard for us four girls. We moved around a bit, due to a few more unhealthy relationships, living in others peoples places, caravan parks and rented properties.
I knew that this was not what I wanted a an adult, so I spend 32 years in an unhealthy marriage. By the age of 47 I had adult children, two still at home and four grandchildren. I felt I couldn’t leave. I had no where to go, no money – what could I do? I had to make the decision to become homeless as I could no longer exist in the marriage.
Leaving my two adult children behind I stayed with my sister her home, not mine. Although she tried to make it mine it wasn’t. I had nowhere to cry and not be heard as I did not know what lay ahead for me, no money, no super, no experience yet a debt over my head if a house that I know longer lived in. Due to the debt I could not apply for anything even after I had part time job in a clothing store, as this debt laid over my head until the settlement was sorted a year later. I was homeless and it was hard nowhere to gave my children over for Christmas or even to have sleepovers for night time chats like we had done all their lives.
There were sacrifices and I ended up being where I never wanted to be as a child.
It’s a sad time on my life but I have moved on and now work for a Specialists homeless service, I know every time I see a woman come through the door the road ahead is going to be hard as there is not enough support for them.