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No crib for a bed

21 December 2012
No crib for a bed

This year, thousands of Australian families will spend their Christmas Day homeless. Western Sydney resident, Susan, with her husband and three children, will be among them.

Susan swallowed her pride and came to The Salvation Army before Christmas last year when her family was struggling after her husband lost his job. She was overwhelmed when she came to pick up her Christmas hamper.

“The whole hall was set up with these tables and they have toys piled high on them,” she remembers. “The hamper ... there were things like tinned ham, lollies, a Christmas pudding ... things that I wouldn’t normally have enough for in my weekly budget.”

Susan’s family will be helped again this Christmas. This year, the family is in even more dire circumstances having descended into homelessness.

“We’ve managed to get temporary accommodation [in hotels and caravan parks through Housing NSW],” she says. “I mean, it’s a roof over our heads and … you know, you try to make the best of a bad situation.”

Susan has been applying for rental properties but to date hasn’t been successful. She has no idea if her family will have a place to call home come Christmas Day.

“I feel for the kids because they’re missing out on things and as a parent it’s my job to provide those things,” she says. “So that sort … it makes your self-esteem feel pretty low.”

This year, The Salvation Army has assisted 16,934 homeless individuals and families. More than 2000 of them had been sleeping in improvised dwellings like tents, or in their car.

“Our frontline staff members are telling us of some of the extreme cases they are seeing,” says The Salvation Army’s Major Bruce Harmer.

“For example, we have heard about a family of 10 people living in a car, and of a tiny rental property being shared by two families [with both sets of parents working] just to meet the cost of living.

“We are hearing of mums and dads and kids living in tents in caravan parks ... it’s heartbreaking. What kind of a Christmas will these children have?”

For Susan, Christmas Day will be made brighter through The Salvation Army’s K-Mart Wishing Tree Appeal, which has provided hundreds of thousands of donated presents for the Army’s our welfare centres across Australia. Like so many other mums and dads, Susan has been able to choose gifts for her children that she would have been unable to afford otherwise.

And the whole family will enjoy a Christmas meal and treats from their food hamper.

“It will enable us to have a Christmas lunch and enjoy the day a bit more,” she says. “You’re not reflecting so much on the situation that you’re in.”

** Since this story was written Susan and her family have secured a home through a community housing provider. Hallelujah! They are no longer facing the prospect of being homeless at Christmas.

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The Salvation Army acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures; and to elders both past and present.

The Salvation Army is committed to ensuring the provision of safe and inclusive environments for children, young people and vulnerable people where they feel respected, safe, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. The Salvation Army is a child safe organisation.