More than 120,000 Australians experience homelessness on any given night according to a census released in 2021 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

During Homelessness Week 2024, which ran from August 5-11, the Clarence Valley Independent met Eliza, who experienced homelessness in her early 20s.

Eliza kindly agreed to share her story with our readers, and said she hopes to raise awareness of the reality of homelessness, how it impacted her life, and how she is working towards rebuilding and reshaping her life.

As soon as darkness fell and the first drops of rain started pummelling the side of the tarp, the wretchedness of her situation entwined with her despair and the freezing winter night overwhelmed Eliza, and she burst into tears.

She never imagined she would become homeless.

Growing up as part of an affluent family in a well-todo Brisbane suburb, she had everything she needed and more.

But a heartbreaking family separation, poor decision making, and an unscrupulous landlord, forced Eliza to yield to a tidal force which was out of her control, and she found herself being dragged further and further out to sea.

“That’s the metaphor I always use to describe the situation I found myself in,” she recalled.

“I was young, barely 19, when I left home.

“Dad left mum for another woman, and she and I had to move into a tiny two-bedroom unit.

“Mum didn’t handle the split very well.

“She’d always relied on dad for everything, and she turned to the bottle to help her cope.

“Within weeks, she’d hooked up with a new fellow who was ex-army and very controlling.

“One day, I was late getting home from work.

“As soon as I got inside his hands were around my throat, and he was talking so forcefully while ticking me off that I can still remember feeling his spit on my face.

“When I told mum (what had happened) she didn’t believe me.

“She thought I was making it up to try and trick her into dumping him, and that was when I knew she’d chosen him over me.

“Later that night, I packed my bags and left.”

Describing her mum’s rejection of her claims as being just as hurtful as the verbal and physical abuse she had experienced. Eliza spent the next nine months living with her then boyfriend and his parents before they moved into a share house with a group of friends they’d known since high school.

For a while, everything was going well.

“That was until one of the girls we were living with started drinking and using (drugs) recreationally,” Eliza revealed.

“Next thing, so was everyone else in the house, including my ex, and that’s when s**t hit the fan.

“He blew all our money we’d saved on drugs.

“We couldn’t afford our share of the rent, we fell behind, and when I started questioning him about where our money had gone, that’s when he blew up, and he hit me.

“It was the first time he did it, and it was also the last time.

“Later that day, we were handed an eviction notice and given a week to get out of the house.

“I didn’t need a week; I packed and left the same day that piece of paper arrived.”

Eliza spent countless months couch surfing and cut all ties with her ex and the group of friends they’d been living with.

She continued working part time jobs to rebuild her savings and eventually moved into her own unit.

“It was the first time I felt free,” she said.

“Everything was great, until I stuffed up.”

The ‘stuff up’ was something Eliza never thought she’d do.

“I stole money from one of my employers,” she said.

“I’d already lost one of my part time jobs and my rent had just increased again.

“Work found out what I’d done, and I got the sack.

“I struggled to get more work because no one wanted to employ me, and the landlord kept increasing my rent, even though they knew of my money struggles.

“Eventually, I was kicked out, and I became homeless in my early 20s.”

Scared and alone, cut off from her family and with no friends to turn to, Eliza drifted between hostels and homeless shelters and slept rough in abandoned buildings and parks, using a tarp she had pulled from a dumpster as a makeshift shelter.

One day, a chance meeting with a volunteer from The Salvation Army helped Eliza to connect with other support services in Queensland who provided her with additional assistance and care while she focused on reshaping her life.

Today, Eliza lives in affordable accommodation and has recently reconnected with a cousin from her dad’s side of the family.

While she is still working on rebuilding her confidence, her relationships, and her trust in people, she said she would like to reconnect with her mum one day and train as a support worker so she can help others in similar circumstances.

“I want to help break the cycle of homelessness,” she said.

“I want to let people know that help is available, and there will always be people who care for you.”

*Eliza’s name has been changed for the purposes of publication.

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 14 August.