Hello I’m mert ( Paula), I am beyond broken, I’m freezing and what I would do for a place to call home. For 2.3 years I’ve been homeless, for over 730 nights I have been separated from my children, for over 730 nights I haven’t been able to hug my boys goodnight or eat a meal with them, during this time I have applied for over 83 rental properties in the southwest with many a heartbreaking unsuccessful attempts . I had been seeking shelter in a shed with holes in the roof no insulation and plenty of spiders and scorpions, even lurking on the loo paper , a standard nightly check of my bed sheets to ensure that it was free of black widow spiders before entering. And a lounge outside where it was the only place I could get wifi. No tv , gosh i havnt had the simple joy of watching a tv for 2.3 years, it’s just that familiar sound of tv that is something of my past. I berried myself in work to keep my mind off the completely depressing reality that I was in . And then it got a whole lot worse. They made me move out they needed their shed back, I tried explaining I had nowhere to go but it didn’t matter. For the past 10 nights my 2 amazing heroes, drifty and brownie, who I can garentee you I would not have made it thus far without them, and I have been sleeping in my little car . I gotta tell you it is a nightmare, completely.

luckily Iam a fighter and for the hope of being able to reunite with my children and to find a place to call home i battle on , this is by far the hardest situation I’ve ever had to face.

my sad reality is that I simply cannot afford a rental property in the southwest anymore, so trying to save myself I researched affordable rentals in wa , and work, I found both in the one location, even though there is only 1 available rental I have applied. I’m an experienced and passionate cook of 25 years and I found a fantastic job opportunity cooking in the Dongara hospital, I managed to drive to Port Denison and present myself in an interview for the job , don’t ask me how but I am determined not to give up. I’m feeling confident although as it’s a government job the process takes time and this is time I’m still homeless and trying to survive. My 2 heroes have been so amazing through out our every day survival. They are my absolute everything.

Yes I have rang Salvation Army , anglicare, crisis care , emergency housing, good shepherd, mission Australia, community housing, I have even emailed roger cook , with nothing but an automated email response, I’ve also emailed the minister of homelessness who just sent me the list of numbers I’ve already exhausted several times, they don’t get it, they don’t understand, there isn’t any help all resources wa wide are exhausted and full , there is no help out there, nothing, believe me I have spent days ringing numbers without any help available.

not is a complete joke, if I had have arrived in Australia from another country I would be set up in a home with money food and work opportunities, however i luck out here because I’m an Aussie born and bred. Iam a mother who just wants to reunite with her children, Iam a woman sleeping, well it’s actually not sleeping because it’s so uncomfortable, roughly and Iam putting it out there please if anyone can help me get into some accommodation or even a house I will be forever grateful,

for now I’m on a wing and a prayer