Struggling with housing – April 2022 – Katie

This story was collected from the Shining Stars Foundation, Camden in April 2022. Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Katie, a 30 year old single parent, is a victim-survivor of domestic and family violence. She was living in a four-person tent at the local caravan park with her four children aged between 4 and 13 years old.

The government offered temporary housing in a women’s shelter for the family. The location of the shelter was not suitable for the family and did not provide easy access to amenities. As a result, Katie preferred to live in the park, which was close to the children’s school.

The living conditions badly affected the children’s mental health, especially 13 year old.

The Shining Stars Foundation helped out by buying a 10-person tent for the family which was larger and safer for them. But, flooding in March 2022 meant that all residents had to leave the caravan park. At the time of collecting these stories the family was living in a hotel.