Tara* attended LocalKind reluctantly last winter after simultaneously being made redundant and her husband walking away from their marriage and son to be with another woman. This left Tara and her son in the family home but with no income to pay for food or bills and no hope to sustain the current mortgage. Tara was devastated and full of shame that she was in this position and accessing services intended for homeless people. She had never needed to access community services until now.
Tara attended LocalKind weekly, in floods of tears and full of anxiety each time. Our support workers took the time to calm Tara to a point where we could understand her needs and connect her with the right services. We connected her to One Meal – Northern Beaches who delivered premade meals to her home weekly. We made weekly calls for financial aid from the Salvation Army Australia and Vinnies Australia, and we provided Tara with weekly pantry items and fresh food through OzHarvest.
Tara had been concealing her financial situation from her children to try to maintain some normalcy during their schooling and exams. She was full of fear, and her mental health was declining rapidly. Getting Tara to a place where she could apply for roles and competently complete an interview was the goal.
After 2 months of continued support, LocalKind received an exciting call from our client to inform us that she had finally been offered and accepted a new role and that she would no longer need to receive food and financial aid from our service. She wanted us to know that our compassion and support during the hardest period of her life would never be forgotten.
