Tereesa faced obstacles no mother should
Tereesa, a single mother of four, is a Gamilaroi descendant from Darug land in Western Sydney. She faced the huge challenge of raising her four young children while also finding affordable permanent housing.
Tereesa, a single mother of four, is a Gamilaroi descendant from Darug land in Western Sydney. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
“I was homeless... My kids never had a connection to the community. They didn't have any friends, they were tired. They were always on the move. We were short-term people.”
Community members at Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
The First Nations community of Western Sydney is home to the largest urban Aboriginal population in Australia.
Tereesa with one of her projected artworks on display at Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo during the 2022 Vivid Light festival in Sydney. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
Aboriginal Australians have some of the oldest continuing living cultures in the world, going back at least 65,000 years (National Indigenous Australians Agency).
Tereesa poses for a photograph with the founding Elders of Baabayn during the weekly Elders Gathering at Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation in western Sydney. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
Evidence shows that programs run with community ownership and control are more successful (Health Sociology Review).
“I was still in high school when I found out I was pregnant with my eldest, and that in itself – a child having a baby was a big challenge… I wasn’t ready to pay rent, bills, and everything else… Since 2013 I have been in and out of temporary accommodation simply because I couldn’t afford any rental properties.”
Restoring cultural identity: a key to homelessness reduction
In Australia, one in 28 Aboriginal people are homeless, according to the most recent Census results (2016).
Providing support must be culturally safe for it to be effective. One such example is Baabayn, which provides First Nations-led support and services to the Aboriginal community of Western Sydney.
Just like Tereesa, many people in Baabayn’s programs have never had the opportunity to learn about First Australian culture.
“It's important because we were always on the fringe as Aboriginal people and we were always ostracised and left outside…Baabayn is a place of welcoming. There’s a lot of people who are lost, they don’t know their mobs.”
Census Results
According to the latest Census results (2016), there is still a large gap in homelessness for First Nations Australians.
Approx. 23,437
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were likely to be homeless on Census Night (1 in 28).
40%
of the Indigenous homeless population were children (aged 18 or under).
“I want my kids to be financially stable, I want them to continue learning about their culture, I want them to have an involvement with the community – the community has your back.”
Stopping the cycle of poverty at the source
Before discovering Baabayn, Tereesa struggled in temporary accommodation and living with friends and family members in the absence of permanent housing and suitable employment in her area. “It’s the everyday struggle that a lot of young Australians deal with today,” she said.
The most recent Census results (2016), found that almost 4 in 10 Indigenous adults were living in households with the lowest equivalized gross weekly household income – twice that of non-Indigenous adults.
- Today, tens of thousands of First Nations Australians still live below the poverty line.
- The social determinants of poverty can also entrench poverty for future generations.
- Lower education rates, health status, and employment opportunities both predispose and are markers of those facing poverty.
Credit: Ellie Wong/Caritas Australia
Tereesa working at Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
The Unemployment Gap
According to the 2020 Close the Gap Report, as of 2018, 49% of Indigenous Australians were employed compared to around 75% of non-Indigenous Australians.
Tereesa is using the chance she was given to help others: “we have a lot of mums who come in that are struggling, and we are there to support them.”
Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation links visitors up to services, support, and contacts in a culturally appropriate way, helping them heal from past traumas and find their foot to pave a brighter future for themselves and their children.
It is crucial that Baabayn continues to receive the funding it needs to support vulnerable young First Nations Australians.
Unemployment Statistics
The unemployment rate for Indigenous Australians is 4 times more than non-Indigenous Australians
*SOURCE: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19 and ABS National Health Survey 2017–18
Targets for Indigenous employment over the last decade have not been met. In fact, progress has stagnated.
*SOURCE: Close the Gap Report 2020
First Australian-led community-based projects need your support now, to help close the gap over the next decade.
