Helen is eloquent and stoic, she’s a mum, she loves gardening, and has an enviable artistic streak.
She raised her son on her own, worked hard her whole life, and has never missed a rent payment.
When Helen was first priced out of private rentals, she went from house-sit to house-sit, trying to keep a roof over her head. She thought she’d find somewhere soon.
Between house-sits, she was forced to start living in her car.
Helen couldn’t yet draw on her super and had very few savings left and didn’t feel like she could ask her son for help, “I don’t want to be a burden,” she said.
“I get up, I wash, I put on some makeup and do my best to look ‘normal’,” Helen shared with us.
About 7 out of 10 older women facing homelessness stay in temporary rooms or sleep in their cars. They wash in public bathrooms and get warm in libraries.
But Helen knows when other women do not have a safe place to call home
“What I notice in moving through life without a home is the other older women making do,” she shared. “I see myself reflected in their faces at the library, parks, and shopping centre car parks. We open our vehicles, and it is plain to see that this is our home.”
Women over 55 are one of the fastest-growing groups facing homelessness in Australia. By the time women like Helen reach out for help, they have been trying to fix this on their own for a long time.
Helen says winter is especially hard when living in your car. The cold gets into your clothes and your bones. She has medications, she’s had her gallbladder removed.
Without a fixed address, keeping track of scripts and seeing a doctor regularly felt almost impossible.
When she really needed help, she reached out to Launch Housing. She told us she was baffled at the difficulties of finding somewhere to live as an older woman.
Helen has a perfect rental history, but agents weren’t looking at it.
A Launch Housing caseworker helped Helen put together a formal rental resume, documenting her reliability and character, and advocating directly to agents on her behalf.
“I had a perfect ledger. I have never ever not paid my rent on time. The garden was immaculate.” Helen said.
Helen has recently moved into a private rental with the support of her case worker.
In her new space she has a garden to grow flowers, food and herbs. She told us she finally feels anchored and not as if she may “float away.”
Hundreds of women need homelessness support every week.
Women over 55 are one of the fastest-growing groups facing homelessness in Australia. Many are in their 50s, 60s, and 70s and have spent their lives working, volunteering, and looking after their families, and now have no safety net. Consider donating to our Winter Appeal by June 30 to help people experiencing homelessness.
