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Peter
The Peters family of eight, mother, father and six children lived in a single room at a motel for six months. When the family were first placed in the motel, Karen was eight and a half months pregnant. The family had no family or friends that they could access for support with accommodation or to assist with the children. The family were also TICA listed, preventing the option of housing through the private rental market.
The family’s motel room had three beds, a single toilet, a shower, and no cooking or washing facilities. The accommodation was on a main road and had limited outdoor space for the children.
It was all that prevented the family from living on the streets.
Despite the challenges, the Peters family managed to sustain this accommodation for six months at a cost of $450 per week. The three older children were enrolled in school and attended regularly.
During this time, regular contact and referrals with specialised homelessness services for short term supported accommodation did not yield any options for the family and several referrals for family housing were unsuccessful. With the assistance of a 500 Lives 500 Homes partner’s family support team, the family lodged an application for Housing Assistance with the Department of Housing and Public Works and theywere assessed as eligible for Community Housing.
In January 2015, the Peters family were offered a home!
Armed with a bond loan and a rental grant, the family were able to signup to a lease with a 500 Lives 500 Homes partner, Church’s of Christ Care Housing, and on 12 January 2015 they moved from the cramped conditions of the single motel room into their four bedroom house.
With affordable secure housing the family is no longer at risk of homelessness.
After the difficulties the Peters family had endured, a 500 Lives 500 Homes corporate supporter worked hard to ensure they could feel immediately at home in their new house. An organisation with just a handful of staff, Brisbane based Medico Legal Reporting Services (MLRSA) ran a customer appeal at the end of 2014 and raised $8,000 to help move a family experiencing homelessness into their new home.
The generous donation assisted the Peters family to obtain essential items to furnish the property and turn the empty house into a beautiful home. The items purchased included a bed and bedding for everyone in the family, lounge suite, dining table, TV cabinet, chests of drawers, dressers, a fridge, washing machine, clothes dryer and a swing set for the children.
According to Medico Legal’s manager James Wruck, the organisation has a long history of corporate philanthropy, having supported the Shepherd Foundation and Mates for Mates previously. Mr Wruck was pleased that their donation would have a real and direct impact for families in need.
500 Lives 500 Homes began in March 2014 with a community-wide registry to identify families, young people and adults in the Brisbane Local Government Area who are homeless or vulnerably housed.
*Not their real names
