Katrina and her 15-year old daughter had nowhere to turn last winter. They were sleeping on the streets and in Katrina’s car for weeks — until they found out about Safe Space.
“Being homeless was scary”, says Katrina.
“My daughter has some mental health issues, so it was really hard”.
“I didn’t have any other options, and if it wasn’t for Safe Space, I honestly don’t know what would have happened”.
Katrina and her daughter stayed at Safe Space for four months. She says the support she received there was amazing, particularly in helping her to manage her daughter’s mental health.
Since then, Katrina and her daughter have moved out of the city and are living in a converted bus.
“I’m still looking for permanent housing, but it’s a start. My daughter has settled down dramatically and it’s good to get her out of the city. The street life is nowhere for a 15 year old girl to be”.
Katrina is now volunteering at Sorell City Mission Op Shop, and says that she loves being able to give back, as a way to say thank you.
“The work is brilliant, and if I can be a part of it in any way I will. I’m really enjoying it. It gets me out and-
about and ready to get back into the workforce. It’s a first step and it’s really good for me”.
“Eventually I’d love to work in community services and be a support worker at Safe Space or in an
outreach program”.
“The impact Safe Space has on people’s lives is dramatic. It saves lives, it really does. And I’ve seen that for myself, not just for me but for other people at Safe Space too.”
“There are misconceptions about homelessness, for sure. I was living out of a trolley, and people do look down on you”.
“But it’s amazing once you’re in it, you meet people from all walks of life; the different stories, the different places they’ve come from”.
“People have got the wrong idea about homelessness — it really doesn’t discriminate”.
Whilst Safe Space is now government funded, it is thanks to compassionate people like you that Katrina got the help she needed.
HCM and The Salvation Army first developed the Safe Space pilot program in 2019, after seeing more and more rough sleepers in our cities. In order to launch the program, donors raised a massive $300,000 in just a matter of weeks.
Since then, Safe Space has provided nearly 12,000 bed nights to 470 people, just like Katrina & her daughter. Thank you, for believing in an innovative idea, and being passionate about making real change in your community.