After fleeing her home as a refugee, Ava thought she had left danger behind. But when violence entered her life once more, this time through her partner she made the brave decision to flee again.

“I got up one day and left, I had to do it for my kids.”

With nowhere else to go, Ava and her children moved in with a friend whose home was already stretched to its limits. Eleven people were crammed into a small three-bedroom home with just one bathroom.

Women are becoming homeless with nowhere to go. Can you help them?

The living conditions were difficult, and stress ran high. Yet, Ava put her children’s needs above her own, prioritising their schooling and well-being over her own health concerns, even delaying medical care.

Ava spent months searching for a house, determined to regain stability, but couldn’t find anywhere, often not even getting a callback.

Through her friend, Ava found ARA and a caseworker who spoke her language and quickly began working to find her family a home. They created a real estate account for her and reached out to landlords. ARA also provided funds for school supplies and arranged medical appointments.

Securing a home can take months, and it’s even harder with no rental history or local references.

Ava and her case worker finally secured a home after seven weeks of searching – significantly shorter than many others still searching for a place of their own.

Ava’s journey has not been easy. Like many survivors of domestic violence, she carried anxiety and fear about starting over. The stigma of leaving a relationship, financial instability, and an uncertain future for her children held her back for years before leaving.

In the last 6 months, we have had 120 people at risk of homelessness come to ARA asking for help to find a house and more come every day.

Many more women like Ava are still searching for a place to call home and facing overwhelming barriers to safety and control of their future. With your support, we can help them find a home.