Wyndham Vale single mother Kylie, 33, burst into tears when she
received her marching orders from the real-estate agent on Friday.
Kylie and her nine-year-old son have 16 days to leave.
“It was my son’s birthday on Saturday so I had to try and keep it
as normal as I can for him,” said Kylie, who did not want her surname
printed.
“My son started crying straight away when I told him we have to
move, saying: ‘Mum, I want to go to the same school’ … I kept saying
as long as we’re together, we’ll be OK. But I can’t promise that we
will.
“I have no idea what I’ll do. I’ve bought a blow-up mattress because we will probably have to sleep in the car.”
RELATED: Evictions soar in Wyndham as poverty bites
Kylie has been registered with a job placement agency for months,
but has had no success. Financial strain became “unbearable” after she
lost more than $130 a fortnight on January 1, when she was forced off
parenting payments and on to Newstart. Fortnightly payments of about
$850 haven’t left her with enough money to stay afloat.
“My bills are sky-high,” she said. “It’s just a headache. You’re trying to tread water the whole time.
“I’ve never been in this situation before. It wouldn’t matter if it was just me, but it’s my son, too.”
