Homelessness is not just about lacking a roof over one’s head; it’s a complex, challenging situation that can impact anyone, from individuals to entire families. The stories shared here from our Community Centre and homelessness hub partners following the Winter Warmer campaign – from Jeanette and Chris’s struggle after a devastating flood, to Smitty’s experience of rough sleeping, and Vanya’s escape from domestic abuse – illustrate the resilience of those facing housing instability and the critical role of community support.
Through emergency relief, legal aid, and compassionate care, organisations like Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre, Fred’s Place, Murwillumbah Community Centre and Fletcher Street Cottage provide a lifeline, offering more than just basic necessities—they offer hope and a pathway to stability.
With your support, Dharma Care can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who need it most through the great relationships we have with our charity partners. Thank you for helping us build a community where everyone has a chance to rebuild and thrive.
Names have been changed for confidentiality reasons.
Jeanette and Chris
PBNC has been supporting this older couple since they first came though the doors after the 2022 flood disasters. Having survived the floods, they were left with a home that was uninhabitable. Then, as Jeanette says, “the real battle began” as the couple were left waiting for an outcome about their housing which took nearly two years. PBNC has been able to assist them with emergency relief by providing pantry items, frozen meals and pet food as well as providing grocery cards. Being at-risk-of-homelessness was especially hard on this couple, who began to experience serious health problems. With costs increasing dramatically this year, they were left with no means to buy medication or pay for fuel to get to important medical appointments. Jeanette and Chris could not afford heating this year and became very ill, requiring hospitalisation. PBNC was able to assist them to recover by providing emergency relief and support from PBNC’s Recovery Support Service workers. PBNC supplied the couple with fuel vouchers so they could attend medical appointments, and they are on their way to recovery now. Both say they felt very supported and cared about by PBNC. They have finally received a buy-back offer and are looking forward to being able to relocate away from the area.
Smitty
Smitty has been moving through the area, rough sleeping for several years. He spent a fair bit of time in our vicinity last year, struggling in the grip of addiction. He sleeps rough in the dunes and spends his time with his faithful companion animal. Smitty is usually polite and well-mannered to everyone around him but he has his bad days, when it all gets too much and he just needs to talk to someone who knows who he is, or he gets too cold to sleep, is flooded out of a tent, his belongings get stolen, or hasn’t eaten for a few days. That is what the neighbourhood centre is for – support for many of the single homeless men who are living a transient life – a place where someone knows their name. Some get work for a while, find temporary housing or a couch with friends for a bit, move away and try again but there is usually a barrier, something that happens, and they are back on the street with nothing. Smitty says he feels “safe” here at the neighbourhood centre, that people here know him and will “give him the time of day” and lift his mood.
Vanya
Vanya has two young children whom she adores, who were the impetus for her to leave her husband after years of abuse. Having come to Australia with English as an additional language, Vanya had no friends or family here when she met her future husband. She said, “He was very good to me” and she fell in love fast. They had a child but she had to go straight home from the hospital after birth, she was not even allowed to have a rest. Vanya had to tell him her whereabouts and often felt like she was being watched. Her husband became increasingly jealous when she spent time with their, by then, two children and became instantly suspicious if she spoke to anyone else but him. She found herself more and more isolated in the marriage. She had no access to their bank accounts or details about the ownership of their house. He had told her at the time he would show her how things worked in Australia but always said, “it would be a waste of time as you wouldn’t understand any of it anyway”. He started monitoring her phone usage, discouraging the only contact with her family overseas, while he would call her up to 40 times a day to see where she was and who she was with.
Vanya came into the neighbourhood centre one day asking to talk to someone because she was told that the neighbourhood centre helps people. PBNC was able to support her by offering warm referrals to appropriate legal services, by assisting her in our Agent and Access Point (formerly Centrelink) to access a relevant accelerated payment, assisting with her Victims Services application and referral to a specialist domestic violence counsellor. During this time, Vanya brought her children with her and engaged with PBNC’s Child, Youth and Family Service and with every visit, Vanya was supplied with material aid in the form of food and fuel support. Together, PBNC services were able to support her transition to other more specialised services for housing and mental health.
We couldn’t supply meet the demand for all the material aid requests if we didn’t have Dharma Care’s support. Thank you for helping us make a real difference in the lives of the people we see.
From Despair to Stability: How Fletcher Street Cottage Helped Me Rebuild My Life
“I first heard about Fletcher Street Cottage about 18 months ago when I was at my lowest point. I had just had a marriage breakup and lost everything in the flood. I felt suicidal and I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
I was couch surfing and staying with friends, but I didn’t have anywhere permanent to live. I wanted to stay in Byron because that’s where my son goes to school and I see him for visits on the weekends. I couldn’t find a place to live because rentals all disappeared as soon as they were advertised.
At the cottage, I went to see the doctor and got some health issues addressed. I also got onto antidepressant medication for my depression, and that made a huge difference. I straightened out some legal issues that had been hanging over my head by talking with the Legal Aid team who come to the cottage.
With all of that sorted out, I was finally able to get a new job and now I’m house sharing with a friend and seeing my son every weekend.
The staff at Fletcher Street Cottage were really encouraging throughout the whole time, even when I lost hope some days. I have so much respect for you and what you do, and really appreciate the time you took with me to make a difference in my life.”
A Safe Haven: How Fletcher Street Cottage Transformed My Life with Kindness
“Without your genuine, loving kindness and generous hospitality, I would be a mess.
The staff and the cottage are not punitive or intolerant. You are real people who don’t put yourselves above people like me who use the cottage. That means that we can talk about difficult topics without feeling judged.
Besides the amazing breakfasts, you have supported me to buy my own tent and feel safe. You have provided me with a place to shower and wash my clothes. Above all, you have given me a space that helps me not to feel so lonely.
I can use the internet and the staff have helped me with getting documents. Now that I have my new ID, I can look for work and hopefully find a home.
Fletcher Street Cottage is a space out of the rain. It is a place to talk with people. Most of all, it is knowing I am not alone. I love being able to come to the cottage every day and be welcomed by people who care about me, even when it’s not easy being homeless.”
Impact Story: Impact Stories are kept anonymous to protect the privacy of service users at Fletcher Street Cottage.
Family fed, clothed and helped with finding a home
A family of seven, Mum, Dad and five children, presented to Fred’s Place following a referral from a local service for housing.
The family had driven up from Victoria to be around family supports following a house fire and losing all their belongings.
Due to so many people in the family, temporary accommodation was difficult to get into.
The children did not have many clothes so with Kmart gift cards purchased with the Dharma Care funds, the mum was able to get the children some clothes, pjs and shoes.
The family was also provided Coles gift cards also purchased with some of the Dharma Care funds for food for a couple days until they got paid.
Two of the children had significant physical disabilities and health issues so Freds linked them into a local housing provider who was able to get them into a caravan park temporarily.
Freds supplied some sleeping bags and other linen purchased from Dharma Care funds.
The family were very grateful for the support and the chance to attend Fred’s for breakfast and food for their children.
