General News
21 June, 2024
Clinging on to hope in the face of desperation
Jackie and Adam* had been renting a house together for five years, both with stable jobs that kept them going.
Adam had been a plasterer for 25 years before a work injury caused him to stop.
"We kept the garden, the house was clean, we didn't ask for much," Jackie said.
Suddenly the landlords decided they wanted to put the house on the market with no tentants, which left Jackie and Adam scrambling to find another place.
But owing to the rental market and housing crisis, they were unable to secure another house, leaving them homeless with their two dogs.
For the past 18 months they have been living in a caravan just outside Horsham, bouncing from one free campsite to another.
They're taking it day by day, but they can't survive permanently on the little income they receive from Centrelink.
"You just burn through the money - you can't budget," Jackie said.
Jackie said keeping battery-powered appliances charged had proven to be a challenge, alongside other simple household chores that they had previously taken for granted.
"It's exhausting," she said. "You try to keep it clean but dust just blows up from behind and washing can't get done very often."
At the moment they are both jobless.
They're constantly on the lookout for work, but without a home or fencing one of them has to stay at the caravan with their dogs.
"Someone has to be there at all times," Jackie said.
The couple are desperately hoping a place in transitional housing will be offered to them soon.
"We tried without help for a while, but everyone needs help," Jackie said.
And they both hold on to hope, no matter how bleak the prospect.
"If you don't want to better your life, you'll just stay there," Adam said.
"But if you do want to better your life, you can do it."
* Not their real names