Good news story
We met three Aboriginal siblings, Tyree, Marquise + Dom, four years ago at a hotel in Maitland who were too afraid, shy, and overwhelmed to come out of their rooms to speak to us. Their lives had been marked by trauma, homelessness, and disconnection.
Several months of daily phone calls, messages, and visits to some not so favourable places were required to build a relationship with these boys before they were able to even visit the house, they would one day call home.
One day, they trusted us enough to bring their bin bags full of belongings to their house and check it out; they threw the food out of the refrigerator, removed the cushions from the living room, and moved the mattresses into the garage, where they lived for the next few months.
They traded colourful words with staff for months, ate their meals in the corner, and did not unpack those garbage bags, but they kept coming back!
The boys gradually transformed their house into a home. They hung family photos, decorated their rooms, cooked family meals, moved their mattresses into the lounge room and even began weekly family visits with their siblings.
In the past four years, Tyree, Marquise, and Dom have accomplished and achieved many great things both big and small, which they should be extremely proud of. These things have included, weekly visits with their siblings at their home (including sleepovers), getting both car and bike licenses, obtaining white cards, gaining a variety of jobs, increasing their confidence to attend public outings, and we have seen them all become happy and content with themselves and their lives.
Over the past four years, there has been no separation between the boys. It is a case of if one goes, they all go! As a result of their hard work, they have achieved their ultimate goal of obtaining a home of their own, a home in which they can continue to grow and share memories together as a family.
They have received assistance from management in moving this week into their new forever home, and their response was that they would continue to call, and “don't worry, we still want a Santa photo taken together ”.
Congratulations to the boys on their new endeavors.
We wish them the best of luck!
