Sara’s* mother lived with mental illness and was violent towards her children. She left when Sara was seven. The following year, Sara’s father had a stroke. She became his carer, looking after him and the household up until he died, when she was just 13.
Sara spent the next few years moving between extended family and friends, but six-months before she was due to graduate high school, her new home became unstable too. Sara knew she couldn’t go back to her mother’s violence. It felt like she’d run out of options.
Your gift this Christmas could make an incredible difference in the life of a young person, like Sara.
Donate nowEverything that could have set Sara up for a bright future – a loving family home; an education; the chance to just be a child – had been taken away from her
She needed a place where she could find compassion, understanding and practical support to turn her life around. She turned to Anglicare Southern Queensland.
Donate nowAs the number of young people in Queensland facing homelessness rises, there isn’t enough accommodation to keep them off the streets. And what is available, doesn’t offer the wrap around support and connection to services these young people need to achieve long-term housing outcomes and make sustainable life choices for a fulfilling future.
Your kindness now can give young people, like Sara, a safe place to stay and help them to rebuild their lives.
Donate now“When I found out I was pregnant, the first people I told was the team at Anglicare”
Sara – Anglicare Youth Homelessness Client
Donate nowWhat will your donation do?
$48
$116
$298
$853
When Sara had nowhere else to turn, she found her way to one of Anglicare’s crisis accomodation homes. Her first connect was with a support worker called Vicki, who began the slow process of gaining Sara’s trust and building her confidence.
“We could see Sara genuinely wanted help to improve her lot in life,” Vicki recalls. “But she had a very difficult background, and significant trauma and mental health struggles.”
She got help to find a job and started counselling to learn how to cope with her trauma. After a few weeks she moved from crisis accomodation into a unit. Then, about a year ago she learned she was pregnant. Vicki and her colleagues helped Sara set up her home for her baby with a cot, changing table, nappies and clothes. Most importantly, they helped give her the confidence that she could provide her son with a better childhood than she had herself.
Baby Noah* was born in June. His arrival in Sara’s life has only made her more determinded to leave the trauma of her own childhood behind and build a better life for him. It’s taken a lot of hard work for Sara to turn her life around. But after years of uncertainty, she finally feels like she’s in control of her own future.
“The people who donate have made a huge difference for me,” she says. “Without Anglicare I would’ve been on the streets.”
Recent data shows that nearly a quarter of Australians experiencing homelessness are aged between 12 and 24. Your donation will help us to build a new youth homelessness service in Logan and expand the wraparound supports that will help to address the escalating housing crisis impacting young people.
Donate nowThis Christmas, around 122,000 Australians will be without a home. 30,000 will be young people like Sara.
Please give generously to help them find kindness, safety and hope.
Donate now*Note: The names of our clients have been de-identified to protect their wellbeing