Face abuse or homelessness?

Lauren’s story

Desperately trying to protect her daughter, mum Lauren* was on the brink of homelessness after fleeing family violence. She wanted to raise her daughter, Poppy age 2, in a safe environment and turned to us for support.

“The violent home situation was just too unhealthy for my daughter, I needed to get her out,” says Lauren.

Her partner hadn’t allowed her to work, meaning her only source of income was welfare payments. “I was relying on food handouts just to feed my daughter,” she says.

To make matters worse Lauren was also supporting her critically ill mother who was in palliative care and was sleeping in hospital wards.

“I had no energy left to think about what I needed to do. I was just surviving, it was really the most challenging time of my life,” says Lauren.

Feeling isolated and with no family to support her, Lauren turned to Windermere.

Windermere worked closely with Lauren to develop a safety plan for herself and Poppy and arranged for Lauren to attend a parenting support class, a healthy relationship support group and counselling for past trauma.

With a goal of financial independence, Windermere helped Lauren apply for a business grant** and supported her to find much safer and more appropriate accommodation.

As Lauren worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, her financial situation improved and she was no longer threatened with homelessness.

“My worker was my constant support. She was always there for me and she taught me to believe in myself,” says Lauren.

Today, thanks to her hard work, Lauren has become a successful businesswoman and she and her daughter Poppy are happily and safely settled in a new house.