Sydney Woman's Heartbreaking Eviction Tale Highlights the Harsh Reality of the Housing Crisis
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Stories about the housing market will never fail to shake us here at SDC.
A 53-year-old woman from Sydney–we’ll call her Cathy, though that is not her real name–has become the latest victim of the nation’s escalating housing crisis after being evicted from her home due to falling behind on rent. Despite her best efforts to find alternative housing, Cathy was unable to secure a new place to live and faced the devastating reality of homelessness..
Cathy had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave her beloved cat behind after she began living in her car. Her story caught the attention of many animal and human rights advocates.
Cathy was living in a western Sydney apartment building with her beloved cat Sage when COVID-19 hit and her wages at work – as a professional cook – were drastically cut. She quickly fell into rent arrears, and despite currently working 50 hours a week, was told she must leave the building on January 26.
It was a heart-wrenching situation, made worse by the fact that she had no choice but to leave Sage behind in the apartment foyer with food, water, and some bedding.
That same week, temperatures soared over 30°C meaning that Cathy, who had nowhere else to go, was reduced to living in her car.
'It’s traumatic not having a roof over your head and there’s no privacy,' she recalled.
'You can’t just put on a happy face and everything’s okay. You try to manage with what you’ve got.'
Her only time worse than huddling in her sweat-soaked, 'boiling' car in the middle of the hot summer was when she had to limit her water intake to prevent herself from needing a bathroom.
'I was having trouble holding myself… there were times I had to go down to the beach and go,' Cathy said.
'And that was just horrible to think that I’d have to crouch down and go when I was busting.'
Amidst the struggles, something miraculous happened – an exceedingly kind-hearted and generous stranger-turned-friend stepped in and changed Cathy’s life.
Derek Knox, the founder of Mini Kitty Commune, read about her crisis on the news and decided that he, and his entire team of volunteers, must help.
'This was someone who cared so much about her cat,' he said. 'What happened to Cathy should not happen. She is working, she is part of society.'
He donated to Cathy himself and rallied nearly every member of his group to help, too. Within hours, offers for spare rooms and couches for long-term lodging came pouring in.
Mr Knox also worked tirelessly to find Cathy accommodation and eventually managed to track down a granny flat that would accept her cat.
Finally, after weeks of worry, sadness, and stress, Sage and Cathy were reunited; and she was given a chance at life somewhere she could call ‘home’.
Mr Knox’s actions not only did wonders for Cathy’s situation but also raised attention to the fatal flaws in the current state of the housing crisis in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs, where the median house price is over $3.5 million.
The NSW government has granted over $1.2 billion towards housing programs for 2022-2023; however, opposition homelessness spokesperson, Rose Jackson, condemns the government’s failure to offer sufficient assistance to the people who need it most.
'The stories I hear almost every day of older women struggling in the private rental market, waiting for social housing, or living in forms of homelessness, tell the story of a failure that isn’t about numbers or statistics, but about people left behind by this government,' she said.
Cathy’s experience is, unfortunately, not unique or isolated. According to the last census, women aged 55 and over were the fastest-growing group of homeless Australians between the years 2011-2016.
Yumi Lee, CEO of the advocacy and support group Older Women’s Network (OWN), believes that women are being disproportionately impacted due to an existing gender pay gap, along with the fact that our society simply does not value the hard work of women.
'A lot of the women who are now retiring into poverty and housing insecurity have not had the opportunity to accumulate savings and superannuation to enable them to retire in comfort and with a roof over their heads.'
Members, this heartbreaking story is a reminder of the real people behind the statistics of Australia’s housing crisis.
It’s important to remember that there are charities and organisations that can assist.
Some organisations include:
And of course, we must join forces in urging our government to implement policies that protect the rights of every Australian to affordable housing, such as establishing a specialist housing service for older people.
Help break the silence by sharing your own stories in the comments below, or sharing any organisations or charities which are helping with the housing crisis. Have you been affected by the housing crisis?
A 53-year-old woman from Sydney–we’ll call her Cathy, though that is not her real name–has become the latest victim of the nation’s escalating housing crisis after being evicted from her home due to falling behind on rent. Despite her best efforts to find alternative housing, Cathy was unable to secure a new place to live and faced the devastating reality of homelessness..
Cathy had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave her beloved cat behind after she began living in her car. Her story caught the attention of many animal and human rights advocates.
Cathy was living in a western Sydney apartment building with her beloved cat Sage when COVID-19 hit and her wages at work – as a professional cook – were drastically cut. She quickly fell into rent arrears, and despite currently working 50 hours a week, was told she must leave the building on January 26.
It was a heart-wrenching situation, made worse by the fact that she had no choice but to leave Sage behind in the apartment foyer with food, water, and some bedding.
That same week, temperatures soared over 30°C meaning that Cathy, who had nowhere else to go, was reduced to living in her car.
Cathy shared her experience when she was forced to move out of her apartment after falling short of hundreds of dollars in rent. (Photo for illustration). Credit: Pexels/Mart Production.
'It’s traumatic not having a roof over your head and there’s no privacy,' she recalled.
'You can’t just put on a happy face and everything’s okay. You try to manage with what you’ve got.'
Her only time worse than huddling in her sweat-soaked, 'boiling' car in the middle of the hot summer was when she had to limit her water intake to prevent herself from needing a bathroom.
'I was having trouble holding myself… there were times I had to go down to the beach and go,' Cathy said.
'And that was just horrible to think that I’d have to crouch down and go when I was busting.'
Amidst the struggles, something miraculous happened – an exceedingly kind-hearted and generous stranger-turned-friend stepped in and changed Cathy’s life.
Derek Knox, the founder of Mini Kitty Commune, read about her crisis on the news and decided that he, and his entire team of volunteers, must help.
'This was someone who cared so much about her cat,' he said. 'What happened to Cathy should not happen. She is working, she is part of society.'
He donated to Cathy himself and rallied nearly every member of his group to help, too. Within hours, offers for spare rooms and couches for long-term lodging came pouring in.
Mr Knox also worked tirelessly to find Cathy accommodation and eventually managed to track down a granny flat that would accept her cat.
Finally, after weeks of worry, sadness, and stress, Sage and Cathy were reunited; and she was given a chance at life somewhere she could call ‘home’.
Mr Knox’s actions not only did wonders for Cathy’s situation but also raised attention to the fatal flaws in the current state of the housing crisis in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs, where the median house price is over $3.5 million.
Cathy had to leave her cat, Sage, as the conditions in the car she was sleeping in might kill the animal. Credit: Australian Research Centre.
The NSW government has granted over $1.2 billion towards housing programs for 2022-2023; however, opposition homelessness spokesperson, Rose Jackson, condemns the government’s failure to offer sufficient assistance to the people who need it most.
'The stories I hear almost every day of older women struggling in the private rental market, waiting for social housing, or living in forms of homelessness, tell the story of a failure that isn’t about numbers or statistics, but about people left behind by this government,' she said.
Cathy’s experience is, unfortunately, not unique or isolated. According to the last census, women aged 55 and over were the fastest-growing group of homeless Australians between the years 2011-2016.
Yumi Lee, CEO of the advocacy and support group Older Women’s Network (OWN), believes that women are being disproportionately impacted due to an existing gender pay gap, along with the fact that our society simply does not value the hard work of women.
'A lot of the women who are now retiring into poverty and housing insecurity have not had the opportunity to accumulate savings and superannuation to enable them to retire in comfort and with a roof over their heads.'
Members, this heartbreaking story is a reminder of the real people behind the statistics of Australia’s housing crisis.
It’s important to remember that there are charities and organisations that can assist.
Some organisations include:
- Habitat for Humanity Australia
- Community Housing Industry Association
- Housing All Australians
- Housing Choices Australia
And of course, we must join forces in urging our government to implement policies that protect the rights of every Australian to affordable housing, such as establishing a specialist housing service for older people.
Help break the silence by sharing your own stories in the comments below, or sharing any organisations or charities which are helping with the housing crisis. Have you been affected by the housing crisis?
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