LINDA


My family went through a terrible time this year. My daughter is an alcoholic. She's been drinking since she was a teenager. I’ve been caring for her, but I also care for two grandkids and I really just want to focus on them.


I live in Quorn, so I travelled to Port Augusta to help get my daughter into a detox program. We’d been staying in my youngest daughter’s house, but she got a job somewhere else and had to move and let the rental property go. The day we gave the key back, we didn’t have anywhere to stay.


THE HOMELESSNESS GATEWAY SERVICE IS A 24/7 TELEPHONE SERVICE WHICH HELPS PEOPLE WITH SUPPORT AND ACCESS TO EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION. THIS YEAR, THE SERVICE HELPED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE IN NEED TO FIND EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION.


It was really stressful. I needed accommodation for one night, for myself and my grandkids, before we returned to Quorn. But my daughter needed somewhere to stay too. I was so worried that we wouldn’t have anywhere to go. I called Uniting Communities’ Homelessness Gateway Service and they found motel accommodation for me and the little ones.


There’s not much shelter accommodation in Port Augusta, but the Service also found somewhere for my daughter at the Lois O’Donoghue Hostel.


It was such a relief to have somewhere to stay and know that my daughter was okay. I’m really grateful for the support we received. If Uniting Communities hadn’t been able to help us, I don’t know what we would have done.


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