Tenant Stories

Some bad luck and some really bad decisions led to Marree spending time in prison. After her release, she was provided with transitional housing, worked as a cleaner, and reconnected with her daughters. She felt valuable and productive, but it was devastating to look for permanent housing and realise that she couldn’t afford a decent ... Read more

Rhonda rented for most of her adult life and it was a constant battle. She and her then-partner had terrible experiences living next to violent neighbours and then being forced to live way out of the city in the few properties they could afford. When they split up it became impossible to make ends meet ... Read more

Rebekah lives with her mum who is her carer. She has a severe medical condition that requires her to be close to the hospital where she is treated. They moved from Wodonga to be close to medical care and they had to give up a lot, including being close to family and friends. But finding ... Read more

Helen didn’t classify herself as ‘homeless’ because she wasn’t sleeping rough. Now she knows the term applies to all sorts of precarious housing arrangements like couch-surfing, rooming houses, and overcrowded conditions. Helen had terrible experiences, like walking around Flinders Street Station all night with nowhere else to go and living for years in an insecure ... Read more

Bea and her son escaped family violence and life had not been easy. The house they were renting had very bad conditions with mice infestation and practically no heating. The landlord said if they weren’t happy, they should leave. Her ex-partner would drive up and down the street, trying to frighten them. She experienced a ... Read more