The Trio & Me

17. Raise awareness for homelessness

This item on my list is one that sits very close to my heart because homelessness has shaped so much of my life.

When I was 16, I was kicked out of home. The reasons aren’t something I’ll share here, but what I can say now – through the lens of adulthood and after years of therapy – is that I was not the child people believed I was.

For a long time, I carried the label of “the delinquent.” The truth was very different. I was an A-grade student who spent my spare time volunteering, donating where I could, and trying to make a positive difference in my community. Like most teenagers, I made some reckless decisions from time to time, but I was, at my core, a good kid trying to survive circumstances far beyond my control.

At 16, with nowhere else to go, I found myself moving between homeless shelters and youth accommodation. Despite everything, I kept studying. I worked hard and earned a place at university. But trauma doesn’t disappear just because an opportunity comes along. Not long after starting uni, I found myself surrounded by the wrong people and eventually on the wrong side of the law. I was only 17.

Homelessness wasn’t a chapter that ended there. It became a recurring theme throughout my life.

To date, I’ve lived in 42 different homes.

I’ve packed my life into bags and boxes more times than I can count. I’ve lost almost every possession from my childhood. I have no physical reminders of my life before I turned 18 – only fragments of memories, and trauma has a way of making even those feel blurred around the edges.

That’s one of the things people don’t often understand about homelessness. It’s not just about not having a roof over your head. It’s the constant uncertainty. It’s never feeling settled. It’s losing your sense of belonging. It’s carrying everything you own, over and over again, while trying to build a future.

When I saw the “Sleep in Your Car for the Night” challenge on social media, I knew it was something I wanted to do with my children. Not because one night in a car could ever replicate the reality of homelessness – it can’t – but because it could start a conversation.

Housing insecurity has touched their lives too.

Between us, my daughters have lived in close to ten different homes. I wasn’t able to give them a childhood in one forever house, and for a long time I felt guilty about that. But what I have tried to give them is something just as important: a home built on love, safety and consistency, no matter what address was written on the mailbox.

I’ve worked incredibly hard to make every house we’ve lived in feel like home. To be their constant when everything else felt uncertain.

We laughed. We squeezed into the car together, wrapped up in blankets and each other. We even extended the challenge by limiting ourselves to just $10 for dinner, snacks and breakfast. Cup noodles certainly didn’t compare to our usual meals, but sharing the experience reminded us how quickly simple comforts become luxuries when your choices are limited.

At the end of it all, we reflected on just how fortunate we are.

We may not own a house. We rent. We still understand the anxiety that can come with housing insecurity. But we also know that home isn’t defined by bricks and mortar. Home is the people beside you. Home is love, safety and belonging.

If there’s one thing I hope people take away from this, it’s that homelessness doesn’t discriminate. It affects children, teenagers, families, people with jobs, students, veterans, survivors of abuse, and people escaping violence. It isn’t always visible, and it isn’t always the result of poor choices. Sometimes it’s simply the outcome of circumstances no one should have to face.

If you have a safe place to sleep tonight, you’re more fortunate than you might realise. And if you’re in a position to help – whether that’s donating, volunteering, supporting local organisations or simply showing compassion – please do.

Because everyone deserves more than just a roof over their head.

Everyone deserves a place to call home.

🤍 K