My children and I are normal, ‘whole’ people in this community, but we have been homeless for a year, writes Angela Finch.
I HAVE been around long enough to see this coming.
For decades, I have watched community services slowly depleting and now I am living with the consequences, and so are my children.
So, my question to our decision-makers is this: can you sit down with my children and explain it to them?
Can you look my 17-year-old, my 13-year-old and my eight-year-old in the eye and explain why these services continue to be underfunded?
Don’t explain it to me. I’ve heard enough. Explain it to them.
I am a sole parent to three children. We have been homeless for 12 months.
It started with rental increases, then a no-fault eviction. I moved into a place I knew I couldn’t afford because we needed somewhere to live. It was only $25 more than our previous rental.
With three children starting new schools, Christmas approaching and me trying to secure better paid work, I fell a week behind in rent. That was all it took. A week became an excuse, and we were out.
I went to court. I tried everything. Once it was over, it was over. I couldn’t get back into the private rental market. I couldn’t save a bond, two weeks’ rent and moving costs while trying to keep my children safe and fed.
We have been supported by 12 different community services just to manage our housing and health issues. That doesn’t include the emotional labour of holding everything together, of trying to create some sense of stability when nothing about your life is stable.
Without the services we have accessed, my children and I would have been on the street. There is no question about that. We would have been living in one of the tents people see around Hobart and quickly turn the other way.
And children are forgotten in these situations.
We talk a lot about child safety, but the moment children might tell uncomfortable truths, suddenly there are concerns about their privacy, consent or mental health.
Let me be clear: Their mental health is not great, because they are homeless. Because they live with uncertainty every single day.
My children are members of this community. They catch the bus. They go to school. They see doctors. They volunteer. They have friends. They are also acutely aware of where they sit in society, and of which supports are available to some people and not to others.
When people reach out for help, it is not because they have failed. It is not a personal failing 100% of the time. It might be one job interview that didn’t work out. One shift missed because a child was sick. One payment delayed. Policy settings can turn small moments into life altering crises.
There is a profound loss of dignity that comes with this. People think they are being kind by stepping in where governments should. Others assume you are broken — that you’ve done something wrong.
You become a ‘service user’ instead of a whole person with a whole life.
I was working three jobs. I know other single parents working three jobs. Most Australians are closer to homelessness than they realise. Research shows most people cannot access $2,000 in an emergency. Many of us know that is us, but we don’t say it out loud. We’re too ashamed. We’re afraid.
We need to be honest, and talk about this in our homes, our workplaces and communities. Because when systems don’t work, we all pay for it — and we are paying for it now.
I want a Tasmania that puts social services, education and the environment first. These things work together. They sustain life, care and community. They are our first priorities at home, so why would we treat our state any differently?
This is not about special treatment. It is about recognising that dignity, housing, education and care are not luxuries. They are the foundation of a functioning society.
My children — and all children — deserve better than explanations we are too afraid to give.
Angela Finch is a lived experience advocate and a Tasmanian mother of three, who is lending her voice in support of the Tasmanian Coalition of Community Service Peaks ‘Prioritise all Tasmanians’ campaign.