The humiliation of being in Sydney, with insufficient funds.
This is where I grew up.
And without a secure roof over my head.
It was so overwhelming that it was too much to think about. So basically, I lay on the floor for three days.
It could be your mum, your grandmother.
And in fact, in 30 to 40 years it could be you.
Homelessness can be sleeping on the streets.
But also it can mean not having a secure roof over your head.
And maybe having to move from couch to couch.
You just can't plan ahead, because you don't know where you're going to be from one day to the next.
And that creates anxiety.
And it was very unsettling for me.
My name is Kay, Kay Doleman.
I had been a stay at home mum.
And involved in school activities, volunteering
And doing a little bit of work, little bits of cleaning, little bits of ironing.
Which I hate.
I hate...
Well 2007 was the year of my divorce, after 36 years of marriage.
I found myself waking up from a bubble of feeling secure
to a situation where I didn't have a secure roof over my head.
And I knew that I couldn't continue living with family and friends.
And it was such a deep pit of despair, that I found myself in that situation.
I had put myself in that situation.
My friends, they had their home, their retirement, their super.
I was ashamed.
It was a situation that...
that I didn't think that I would ever be in.
The idea of house sitting came to me, and that became a reality.
And at least I had a bed to sleep in at night.
My family and friends knew the situation.
It touch on a...
on a sore spot.
What I found was hard, was not having a home to have them stay.
As we used to.
Many unfortunately don't actually see themselves as homeless.
They see themselves as having a bit of a problem.
And they're going to try and get through it.
It's a growing issue. And it's a growing issue for a few reasons.
We've got women entering older age now who haven't necessarily had a longtime in the workforce
with superannuation.
Many have also spent a long time out of the workforce raising children.
Caring for other family members.
And find themselves in older age living in poverty.
When you're trying to rent privately if you haven't had the opportunity to purchase