CFS: Hi there. You’re about to hear stories from people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity. As these storytellers reveal, they never imagined that any of these terrible things would happen to them. But they do believe that it could happen to anyone, and that it is the responsibility of everyone to care for the people going through it.

These stories reflect on experiencing a broken system. Although these struggles happened many years ago for some of them, their stories were ironically recorded during Australia’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis in 2024, when homelessness and poverty remain as relevant as ever for many modern families. Here, our storytellers share what they believe needs to change about that system.

Supported by Shelter WA, funded by the Sisters of St John of God and produced by Centre for Stories, these stories were recorded on Whadjuk Nyungar boodjar. We pay our respect to Nyungar Elders, and all Nyungar Elders from the beginning, who are the knowledge-keepers and custodians of this place.

A quick warning – our listeners are cautioned that this story may contain content that will be triggering for some, including substance use and mental illness. Please take care of yourself while listening and take a break if needed. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

This is Gabby’s story.

GABBY: When I was fourteen, I spent my first night on the streets due to family issues and drug abuse problems. I spent that night on an oval in the back part of Midland. I slept on top of the cricket nets for safety because I knew if someone came for me or my stuff that I would rattle the nets and I would wake up.

I moved out of home when I was 15, and then I spent a couple of months at my best friend’s house. There was a warrant out for my arrest. The reason why is a bit hard to explain, but when the police came for me, my best friend’s parents tried to hide me. They put me in the cubby house in the backyard. The police had already seen me at the property, so they knew I was there. They ran through the house and in the end, they got me and then they took me to gaol.

I spent three years in and out of Banksia Hill [Prison]. It was good and bad. I had a roof over my head, but it was a very traumatic time in my life. On top of that, there were usually about ten girls in Banksia to the hundred-plus boys.

I was also on the run from the police for eight months, which was crazy, but it wasn’t all that bad. I remember one night I snuck into the casino with my older friends and my drug dealer… when I was 16, and I had the best time there until they realized I was underage and kicked me out at about five in the morning.

But also during that time on the run, I was staying with my drug dealer and using a lot at the time. When I was 17, I was in the car driving somewhere and I heard the song ‘Resolutions’ by Complete playing; and if you hear the song, you’ll know the reason why I decided to go to rehab. I didn’t think I would make it through rehab, but I decided to still give it a go.

Then when I went to a mental health ward halfway through rehab, which was a surprise, I didn’t think my mental health was that bad, but it turned out it was. And then I came back to rehab and I made a bet with the manager, Jake, that if I made it to graduation, I could pour a bucket of water over his head.

Rehab was hard and it helped me deal with my anger issues. But it wasn’t all bad. We had a sailing program and one day I remember that we were on the water in Freo and a dolphin with three baby dolphins swam up next to us, so close we could touch them. That was a great day.

And then after that, not long after that, I made it into, made it to graduation. The staff and my peers were all there. Everyone was so proud of me, and I was very proud of myself.

I got to pour a bucket of water over Jake’s head on that day, and it was great. I also received a graduation ring.

I’m here today because I was seen as an individual, someone with family struggles, with drug issues and mental health problems that I didn’t even know about, and it was all mixed in with my homelessness.

Over the years, I have lost so many friends, friends who might be here today if they got the support they needed, like I got the support I needed.

CFS: Thank you for listening. This story collection was supported by Shelter WA, funded by the Sisters of St John of God and produced by Centre for Stories. You can head to shelterwa.com to learn more about their impact in driving positive change for those in need, as well as listen to the other stories in this collection.

Centre for Stories is a not-for-profit organization with charitable status. Our team is small and nimble, and we love what we do. To help us to continue to support diverse storytellers, consider a small donation. You can donate at centreforstories.com.

This podcast was produced by Luisa Mitchell, with story training from Jay Anderson and Jasmyn Hutin, and sound engineering by Mason Vellios. Thank you.