As a child, Layla’s* home was filled with fighting.
She and her four siblings grew up in constant fear of how her parent’s arguments would end.
“It was a scary time of my life,” she reflects. “The fighting would get so bad that most things in our house were broken or didn’t work.”
In 2012, her dad was arrested and spent a few months in prison.
“I spent some of my upbringing with my mum just trying to get by and provide for the kids,” she says.
Her mum developed a gambling issue, and it progressed so that all their money slowly disappeared.
When Layla was 15, her dad left her family. A few months later, her mum was gone as well.
“I was left alone with my two brothers, who were 12 and nine years old, and my sister who was six,” she says.
“I had to leave school and get a job to pay rent and feed my siblings, because no one else could. Eventually I couldn’t pay rent and we were evicted.”
After having no choice but to leave, the children stayed with their grandmother for a month.
“We couldn’t stay there long because the place was too small for all of us,” she remembers.
“We were sleeping on the floor. But I was determined that I could fix the problems that my brothers and sister were going through.”
Because Layla was only 16, a family friend helped them secure a house that was a private rental.
“At first I was so happy,” she says. “I had also enrolled into TAFE to study community services – I’ve wanted to help others my entire life.”
“But I was struggling to attend TAFE, because I wasn’t earning much money, and I couldn’t sacrifice one day to study. I had to earn every dollar I could.
“Eventually, I couldn’t keep up with the payments and we were evicted again.
Layla had to navigate the difficult circumstances on her own. Her parents weren’t providing the family with support.
“They were pretty much uncontactable,” she explains.
“I had heard my dad was arrested again in 2021 and spent a couple more months in jail. When he got out of jail he remarried and lived with his new wife. He left us to fend for ourselves.”
She still tried finding places to live and did her best to keep up with the rent.
“I decided I needed more than one job to survive, so I got a job at the airport where I cleaned the cabins,” she says.
At the age of 18, Layla worked multiple jobs – including a warehousing job and at a farm – to try and stay on top of rent. It was too difficult, and eventually she was evicted again.
“During this experience, all I kept thinking was, ‘I don’t want to live this life anymore. I’m ready to give up’, she says.
“The suicidal thoughts came every day. I felt like there was no other option.”
Layla and her siblings couch surfed for a year.
“It broke my heart to see my brothers and sister moving so often to different places,” she says.
“I made sure they had everything they needed or wanted. I made sure I paid their school fees, that they had uniforms and lunches so they wouldn’t feel like they were missing anything.”
Earlier this year, she met workers from Youth Off The Streets.
“When I met them, me and my siblings were living in a motel,” she recalls. “We slept on the floor; I used a towel as a blanket because there weren’t enough blankets for us in the room.
“When Youth Off The Streets came into the picture, my entire world changed.
“My caseworker spoke to so many different services for us,” she continues. “She got us food and helped us with everything.”
Layla’s caseworker helped her secure a house that she could afford.
“It meant I didn’t have to worry so much,” she explains. “I got the keys, but I had no furniture. My caseworker got us beds, mattresses, a microwave, kitchen stuff – she even got us a TV.”
Layla is now working in disability services, doing what she’s always wanted to do – help people.
“I’m currently saving to buy my own car so I can get to work without having to use the trains, which is my biggest goal,” she says.
“I’m so thankful to have met my caseworker and Youth Off The Streets, because if I hadn’t met them I don’t know where my life would’ve ended up.”
“My brothers and sister are all happy we have a home – it’s not just a house,” she adds.
“We have support around us, and we can breathe easy now.”
*Name and image changed to protect the young person’s identity.
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