“I didn’t choose to be homeless. I found myself there. The only escape from the alcohol-fueled violence I experienced as a child.”
Nobody chooses to be homeless. People like Jess didn’t. She fled violence. She fled fear. So she found herself alone. She found herself scared and vulnerable. She needed help.
You can give hope and comfort this winter to South Australians with nowhere safe to live.
Jess’s childhood was tough. She had an alcoholic, violent and abusive father. Her mother did her best to protect her children but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Jess fled the environment as soon as she could to escape the violence and abuse.
Unfortunately, the price she paid was a lost education. She left school and didn’t get qualifications so the only work she could find was unstable and low paid.
Her self-esteem was very low. She was slow to trust anyone. She spent her days worrying and her nights cold and hungry.
“I had lost control of my life really. After living in an abusive relationship, I found I had no one to turn to. I couldn’t go home. Finding a place of my own was out of the question because I couldn’t afford the rent.”
Being homeless when COVID-19 stopped life as we knew it, she was temporarily placed in a crowded motel. It was a lucky break, for whilst there she found Sue from WestCare. Thanks to people like you, WestCare is able to support many South Australians just like Jess.
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“Sue and I talked, I could tell she really cared. She understood my fear. She organised a phone for me so she could ring to see how I was going, and she came to visit me when she could. At the time I was in an abusive relationship and WestCare and Sue helped me get an intervention order and domestic violence counselling. WestCare saved my life.”
Baptist Care SA’s WestCare Centre provides support that saves lives. The lives of people like Jess. Your donation can ensure that WestCare can continue this life-saving work this winter. Stepping up to help when it really matters for people like Jess.
“Sue put me in touch with Housing SA. With the support of WestCare I was given somewhere to live. My own home! This gave me the emotional support I needed to regain control of my life. I have enrolled in some education programs. I feel like it’s a second chance at my life”.
With winter approaching, there are many more people like Jess, doing it tough, living rough, on the street and living without the things you and I take for granted. Somewhere to sleep. Knowing where our next meal is coming from. Taking a shower. Washing our clothes.
I didn’t have anywhere to live and was constantly on the move. Most of my time was taken up with trying to keep warm. Finding somewhere safe to sleep. Figuring out where my next meal was coming from.
Sadly, WestCare will have a busy winter helping the hundreds of South Australians who come to us every week for help.
Your gift can make such a difference by providing second chances.
DONATE NOW to make your gift. Let’s take action together!
If you’d like to know more, do contact us on 8273 7100 or email [email protected].
