Not long ago, Dylan* was on top of the world – he owned his own home, was working hard running his own business and was excited to be counting down the days until he and his wife welcomed their first child.
Then life threw Dylan several curve balls all at once.
His business ran into trouble, leaving no choice but to file for bankruptcy and their family home was repossessed. At the same time, he became the primary carer for his wife, whose health had significantly and unexpectedly declined, while also caring for their one-year-old daughter.
Initially Dylan didn’t know where to turn.
“Essentially, it’s always a bit hard to ask for help because you don’t know who to talk to. But given the circumstance, I had no choice. I had to reach out to whoever I could and whoever was available sooner rather than later.”
Once connected with Haven Home Safe, Dylan attended appointments with the Initial Assessment and Planning team who gave him guidance and supported the family with their housing application.
Even with a priority application, the family lived mostly out of their car for six months. During this time, they faced exhaustion, limited access to basic facilities, and the emotional strain of keeping their child safe and well.
“When you’ve got a one-year-old, then they can’t really sleep, and then you can’t sleep. It was a very restless time, I was just exhausted. I was very demoralised too. Like anyone else, when they have their own business, their own home, then they lose everything. It’s just you know, something that says that happens out of bad luck, I guess.”
Temporary motel accommodation was arranged at key points, providing critical relief from living in their car and allowing the family moments of rest.
“The temporary accommodation was a relief and a stress reliever. Just being able to walk around in a motel stretch of legs and, you know it’s a whole different environment.”
Throughout the process, Dylan reflected that regular reassurance and encouragement from staff helped them to remain hopeful.
“And they essentially just kept saying, yeah, just hang in there, we’re trying to organise stuff, this and that. So it was just a repetition of that part that kept us going. To give us hope.”
After approximately six months, Dylan and his family were offered a social housing rental property. Access to secure housing has been life-changing for the family.
They are now safe, stable, and able to rebuild their lives. Dylan described their life as “back to normal,” with a renewed sense of happiness and wellbeing for both himself and his family.
“When we were living in our car we were in survival mode, you couldn’t do anything else about it; it was just it felt hopeless, but you still have to push yourself; you have to still move forward. Now our lives feel full and colourful. We’re very happy.”
*Name changed to protect privacy.
For Dylan and his family, having a home means more than a roof over their heads. It means security, dignity and the chance to look forward to the future again.
Every day, more families are facing housing stress, financial hardship and the risk of homelessness. With your support, Haven Home Safe can continue helping people find safety, stability and a place to call home. Learn more or donate here.
