Emma and her partner Darryn were doing well and providing for their family of five children, as well as a niece who needed a safe home. The kids had some behavioural challenges and so they came along to the local Anglicare supported playgroups where Emma found friendship, parenting support and encouragement.
Anglicare was already part of Emma’s life and she was doing well, but then things took a turn….
“Darryn was working but he got pretty sick and soon had no annual leave or sick leave left. Things got really difficult… and then it got even worse. Darryn’s Dad got really sick and Darryn had to go visit him without any pay, due to already using up his leave. Then his Dad sadly passed away. After the unpaid leave and then all the funeral expenses and travel to the funeral… we weren’t able to cover rent. We were two weeks behind in rent but with no money coming in, we were looking at being evicted and on the streets and splitting up the family. I was desperate.”
“I had nowhere to turn except Anglicare. The crisis support that Anglicare gave us meant we could stay in our home and also travel to the funeral, seven hours away. Without that help, I don’t know what we would have done. It was the toughest time of my life.”
When all seemed lost, Anglicare was there.
“Anglicare didn’t just help me parent my kids and give us food. They kept me motivated and made me feel like they really cared. Anglicare kept me on track to getting to a better place for my whole family. Now I have a job, the kids are doing better, and our life is stable. There will always be challenges, but Anglicare showed me how to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have hope,” said Emma.
“Without Anglicare, my family wouldn’t be together right now. The support I got from the team taught me how to look at things, how to handle stress. They impacted my outlook on life. Now we can take care of our own family. I wanted to give back to Anglicare, so I’m using my cooking skills to teach other Mums in our playgroup how to cook too. Anglicare changed my life and I know they are always there.”