Kristy Williams is only 19, but she’s faced more challenges than many people might encounter over a lifetime.
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Ms Williams was just 14 when she became pregnant with twins and left school, an event which set her on a path of instability that rendered her homeless during some periods.
This week is Homelessness Week, an event which aims to draw attention to the issue, often hidden, that affects one in 200 people a night.
Brophy Family and Youth Services provided Ms Williams with temporary accommodation a couple of weeks ago and is assisting her in finding her own place to live with her baby, six-month-old Ruby.
Ms Williams was most recently living with her partner’s family in an environment she described as crowded and unsafe.
She has been studying beauty therapy for the past three months and hopes to forge a career in the area.
Ms Williams described her childhood as difficult and said she wouldn’t wish the “rough life” she has had on anybody else.
Looking to her future, she hopes to get custody of her twins back and find a place to live, eventually with her partner.
Another woman, aged 56, who did not want to be named, told her story of falling between the cracks and living in boarding houses and on people’s couches for a number of years.
She said many of the issues that led to her not coping stemmed from a traumatic childhood and her experience of depression and anxiety.
The woman was maintaining a job in aged care while living in a boarding house where she felt very unsafe. Another resident broke her wrist.
“It’s only been the last five years that I’ve been comfortable admitting all of this. It has to do with self-worth and perceptions in society,” she said.
“It’s not supposed to happen in Australia – this is the lucky country – people aren’t supposed to be homeless or hungry or scared.”
Senior youth homelessness worker Brendan Maher described homelessness as a hidden problem. He said Brophy assisted around 250 people under 25 each year.
“I don’t think there’s any typical person that comes through the door. There are some common themes including family violence and financial stress for people looking for affordable housing that is secure and decent,” he said.
“Homelessness is when you don’t have safe, secure stable accommodation. That includes things like couch-surfing and living in boarding and rooming houses.”
Mr Maher said people living in cars was common.
