Think homelessness couldn’t happen to you? Neither did Helen Simmons.
Forty years ago, Helen, now aged 79, “had it all”. A husband, three children, a nice house with a pool, many friends. It was the 80s; a time of dizzying highs and living large – until the stock market crashed – and then came the spectacular lows.
August 1-7 is Homelessness Week; raising awareness around people experiencing homelessness, and the action needed to achieve long-lasting solutions, including more social and affordable housing. Helen is one of 436 people aged over 55 living in VMCH’s 21 affordable homes communities. She’s also among the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness, women aged over 55. Around 90% of VMCH’s affordable homes residents are female.
The number of older Australian women accessing homelessness services has increased by 63% in the last five years. (The Australian Human Rights Commission – Older Women and Homelessness (2019).
The Retirement Living Council reports “the largest proportion of older women facing homelessness in Australia have led conventional lives … they’ve been employed, had stable homes and families. (Homelessness) is forced upon them after critical life events, like a relationship breakdown, financial troubles, or the onset of illness.” They describe these women as “the missing middle”.
Helen’s story is an eerie reflection of these statements.
Back in the 80s, Helen’s husband made some bad business decisions, and despite her one ongoing plea, had remortgaged their house twice to stay afloat. When things went south, the stay-at home mum found herself divorced and homeless.
She and the children moved in with her mother with not a penny to their name.
“I was completely blindsided,” Helen recalls, “I was surprised how so many of my ‘friends’ disappeared. The whole experience was life-changing.”
With three children to take care of, Helen sprang into action. Despite just a few years’ experience as a teenage hairdresser, Helen secured a retail job with Katies and worked her way up to running its then bridal department.
The home front wasn’t so stable. When Helen’s parents passed away she was able to purchase a small unit with some money they’d left her. When her son started his own business years later, he bought her a beautiful home in Lower Plenty, but then was forced to sell when his business went under. Helen then moved in with her daughter, where she stayed for 10 years until it was recently time to leave.
The breast cancer survivor says a chance encounter with an old friend turned her life around.
“She told me about VMCH’s affordable homes but I didn’t think they’d take me, I didn’t have anything to give,” she said. “But they accepted me anyway and now here I am, I love it. When I first came I asked if I could put anything up on the walls and I was told ‘of course, it’s your forever home, do what you like’. To know this place was mine was amazing, I’d just wish I’d known about this earlier.”