When hardship hits hard 

Jess and Matt are hardworking parents who never imagined they would find themselves in the awful situation they faced two Christmases in a row.

Matt was holding down two jobs, while Jess was running the home and looking after their two young children.

Matt suffered a workplace injury while working on a casual second job to help make ends meet for his family. Faced with the reality of at least six months without being able to work or earn a living,, it wasn’t long before his mental health started spiraling downhill fast.

Nowhere left to go

Despite taking the desperate step of skipping meals to save money, Matt and Jess fell behind on their rent. Before long, the young family was served a notice to vacate their home.

To make matters worse, it landed right before Christmas!

Matt, Jess, Charlie and Evie spent a week in the run up to Christmas sleeping in their car. Jess had to pretend that it wasn’t really Christmas, trying to pass their homelessness off as a big adventure to the kids.

“We had no choice but to live in our car for a week with the kids, in carparks and shopping centres. It was horrific. We hadn’t been able to celebrate Christmas at all the previous year, because we were struggling so badly. I couldn’t believe my kids were about to miss another one."

Feeling scared and overwhelmed, Jess finally found the courage to reach out to The Salvation Army for help.

That call changed everything.

Stability and support just in time

Through The Salvation Army, Jess and Matt were able to find a safe place to stay for their family, just in time for Christmas.

They also received the support they needed to give Charlie and Evie a Christmas to remember, with everything they needed to celebrate together as a family.

“When the kids woke up and saw the Christmas tree all lit up and the presents underneath, they were beyond themselves. They couldn’t believe it. Me and Matt were crying. It was a really emotional day for us — to watch your children light up like that, puts all your stress and anxiety at bay.”

To this day, if Jess ever feels overwhelmed, she visits her local Salvos centre — because she’s witnessed firsthand how they become a lifeline in a crisis, and she understands the power of community in hardship.

As Jess said, “The Salvos made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I didn’t feel like I belonged until I walked through that door. To all the people who give to The Salvation Army, I can’t put in words how grateful I am. Thank you so much for helping people like us.”

_{*To protect Jess and Matt’s privacy, their name and some details of their story have been changed.}