Cyclone Alfred had just cleared through South East Queensland when Amber* commenced the exit clean of her Bayside property. After an unexpected loss in the family followed by a relationship breakdown in the late stages of her pregnancy for her third child, Amber was ready for a fresh start for her young family.
Assessing the competitive rental market in Brisbane, single mum Amber, who owns a small business, and her family hit the highway heading north to a regional city.
Arriving in their new coastal community, Amber and her children stayed with family for the first six weeks as they adjusted to their new surroundings. At this time, Amber quickly realised that the tough rental market she had encountered in Brisbane was far more widespread than she had thought and that securing a new home would once again be a tough task.
Furthermore, having invested a lot of her savings into the move up north, Amber and her young family found themselves in a tough financial spot. Without a place to call home, Amber had yet to establish her business in the new community and therefore had not yet created a stable income for herself and her family. Sadly, as they were unable to stay long-term with family, they started to experience housing insecurity for the first time.
Amber shares, “When I left Brisbane, it had just become dead ends everywhere. But what I hadn’t planned on was the housing crisis extending further north. Everyone was struggling, and I had started falling behind on car payments and car insurance.”
With a proactive mindset, Amber set out to explore other housing options for her young family, ultimately deciding to share a rental property with an old friend to improve their chances of securing a new home.
Enter Parkstone Property, Amber’s new property managers. She shares, “From the outset, our property managers were beautiful people who treated us fairly. Unfortunately, as old friendships go, I soon realised that my friend’s living arrangements didn’t align with my family’s way of living.
So I decided to take on the lease by myself. My property managers were very supportive of this decision. They understood the situation I was in, especially as they knew it had been a tough start since arriving.”
In their new home, Amber set about settling her children into the new community and getting her business up and running.
“Finally, we were starting to make progress, but as the new year arrived, so did some significant unexpected expenses, including a serious car accident that saw my car being towed into the mechanics. We just began to have another series of setbacks. It’s embarrassing when you can’t answer the phone because you’re behind on your bills. I was really trying, but it was starting to drain me.”
Already having a strong working relationship with her property managers, Amber was in regular communication with them.
“I disclosed some of what had been happening to us. They could see that I was super stressed and that I was literally trying to get things happening for us. That’s when the property managers took the initiative of seeking support for me. I’m grateful that they saw me trying and took this step.”
It was at this point that the property management team at Parkstone Property accessed the online referral portal, PM Assist, to submit an early intervention referral for Amber and her family to the specialist housing and homelessness service, CASA.
Amber shares further, “They played it down as they didn’t want me to get my hopes up, but they were rallying for me. They checked with me to see if I was happy to receive the referral. I thought to myself, ‘Yes, I’ll take any help.”
She recalls that first phone call from CASA, “The first thing my case manager said to me was, ‘We can help’. She came with such a compassionate approach that was without judgment. And the support she offered was holistic.
It was both practical in addressing the financial challenges in my tenancy, and it was also like having a sounding board. If I had been thinking about a problem and had explored in my own mind every option. Just having the conversation with my case manager would affirm what I was thinking, so I could more easily decide on how to address the issue. What was most valuable to me was that my case manager gave me peace of mind and encouragement. She reminded me that it was okay to feel certain ways and kept me motivated.”
With her tenancy back on track, Amber is laser-focused on how to move forward.
“I have a new family member moving in shortly. They are the most helpful human on earth. They’re going to help me and share the rent. I have everything planned out for when they arrive so that I can get my business back on track. My children and I will regain some balance in our lives without stress or worry. It changes so much for us.”
And like the calm after a storm, Amber reflects on her story with a renewed strength and confidence, “My kids are my inspiration, my everything. This has not defeated me. I know I can take on the world again, and I will.”
*Name has been de-identified.