Queensland mum shares heartbreaking story of homelessness
A young mother-of-two from Queensland has documented her devastating journey of homelessness, as she has become the face of how the housing crisis is affected generation Z.
Sushannah Taylor, 20, has been staying at campsites around the Bundaberg area after her landlord sold the rental home she was living in with her husband Tristan, 22, and the couple’s two daughters Delilah, 2, and six-month-old Luna.
Throughout her experience, she has documented her journey on TikTok to show how the reality of the housing crisis is affecting young families across Australia.
In the latest blow to Sushannah and her family, the young woman shared she was recently involved in an accident while driving the family car, with her two young children and all the family’s possessions in the back.
Sushannah’s car was hit by another vehicle being driven by an elderly woman who, rather than stop to assist, drove away.
No one was hurt in the collision, but now Sushannah and Tristan have been lumped with the full cost of repairs for the vehicle — a cost they cannot pay.
Sushannah said that she had to “swerve the car to avoid them hitting the front or, you know, the middle where my kids are” and that the kids got “rattled around a little bit but they are doing great”.
“But here’s the kicker. The person that hit me was an elderly woman. And when I pulled over and tried to wave her down to say, ‘hey, like, let’s stop, let’s take each other’s details, let’s assess the damage’, she drove off.
“A hit-and-run. So we don’t have a car right now. And it’s gonna cost me hundreds of dollars to fix the damage.”
“What I’m so angry about is the person that decided to hit my car and run away like a coward. I’m homeless. I live out of my car. I need my car. It is an absolute necessity for me and my family to survive. And now I have to look at possibly buying a new one. But don’t have the money for that."
“I just want one thing to go right. Because right now I feel like the universe if laughing at me.”
Sushannah's videos are shining a light on the homelessness crisis in Australia, documenting what the family eats for each meal and the constant unpacking of their lives to move onto a new campsite.
The young couple have applied for more than 40 jobs and are now receiving Centrelink payments to support their family.
The area of Bundaberg is extremely competitive to secure housing in, while homeless shelters are also at full capacity.
“I’ve been a stay-at-home mum for the past two years so it’s going to be a little bit more difficult for me to jump back in but I’m trying,” Sushannah said.
Image credits: TikTok