HOMELESS, pregnant and a domestic violence survivor – there’s been no shortage of stresses for Teegan Worrell.
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To see the 21-year-old’s warm smile, you wouldn’t know the rough trot she has had over the last six months.
She has just slept the first night in a transitional unit after spending half-a-year homeless, couch-surfing. It’s a humble abode, but it means the world to Ms Worrell.
“I hit a hard point in my life and it just went downhill and I didn’t know who to turn to or anything like that,” she told The Leader.
“I sort of just lost everything, I just let everything go, I let bills get on top me and I literally had nowhere to live.”
Ms Worrell is one of more than 200 young locals helped back into housing by Tamworth Family Support Service’s youth homelessness division in the past year.
If it weren’t for the service, she said she would still be looking for the next couch to sleep on.
“I’m not one to ask for help ever,” Ms Worrell said.
“This time when I hit the struggle; I’ve taken all of the help and it’s been absolutely amazing.”
Ms Worrell said she didn’t know what to expect when she walked into her new home, but it has opened the door to a lot more opportunities for the young woman who’s eyeing a certificate in childcare.
“I just sort of gave up when I lost everything and it was not until I started finding support again, it’s actually given me the confidence to start thinking about things and thinking about the future,” she said.
At 30 weeks’ pregnant, the immediate future is all about getting ready for her new bub.
Ms Worrell’s caseworker, Leigh Wagstaff, said the accommodation gives her one less worry while waiting for the arrival of her new baby.
Wednesday marked Youth Homelessness Matters Day and the local support service used the day to deliver care packages to their clients.
Ms Wagstaff reminded people being homeless is usually tied up with “an ever-evolving list of issues around them”.
“That can be drug and alcohol, it can be abuse, it can be domestic violence,” she said.
“It’s very rare that it’s just they’re homeless.”
The caseworker sees hundreds of instances of homelessness a year, bringing unique challenges and struggles, but she said it was very rewarding to see clients get back on their feet.
“Hearing that from Teegan’s perspective, I've never thought of that from her perspective,” she said.
“We come to work and we see it so often, that it’s just a job, but when you hear it played back like that, it’s kind of emotional and rewarding.
- Tamworth Family Support Service is available on 1800 073 388.