Working mum who lived in car left wondering how she would survive

Adelaide mother Amira lived in her car for 10 months following a relationship breakdown.

She and her ex-partner wanted their children to have stability, so they took turns staying home with the kids on alternate weeks.

On weeks Amira did not stay with the children, she had to move out.

Offers of accommodation from generous friends arrived, but she eventually felt like a burden and opted for winter nights in car parks around Adelaide.

The 39-year-old said the change was difficult to process, describing herself as a working-class mum who hosted parties and had just been promoted.

"I had everything together and now I really don't. I was quite hard on myself and really struggling to see a way out," she said.

Amira, who did not want her last name published for privacy reasons and because her children did not know the full extent of her living situation at the time, said she often would go without.

Seeking safety in well-lit car parks

Amira said she still remembered the trauma of a group of five men banging on her car window one night.

"One was even trying to unlock the door and trying to get in," she said.

"[It was] terrifying, absolutely terrifying," she said.

Recent data from local homelessness service, Hutt St Centre, showed a 77 per cent rise in female clients over four years.

Amira described taking extra precautions as a woman sleeping rough, such as picking well-lit car parks with toilet blocks and a close escape route.

"I had to purchase a couple of cricket bats so that I could feel that sense of security or safety," she said.

Turning a corner

Her children's school stepped in to help and Amira was able to get back on her feet.

"I started picking up other jobs, I started accessing my psychologist more often, I started accessing other services, things started to change slowly," she said.

She now works to help people in similar situations access transitional housing and mental health supports.

"I thought, 'Wow if that was around when I was sleeping rough, that would have been the perfect place to reset'," Amira said.

"I can relate and tell people there is hope, there's no stigma."

Amira said more short and long-term housing were needed for people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges.

Long-term housing help

Olav Nielssen, a member of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, has been working to provide long-term housing for people with chronic mental illness. 

The charity has created 20 self-contained purpose-built homes for people in Sydney.

"It's a really cost saving and efficient form of care," Dr Nielssen said.

He believed state governments should fund more long-term housing models to help alleviate homelessness.

"It's just embarrassing to see people sleeping in the open in such a rich society.

"It's very much in our self-interest too because it costs more to neglect the mentally ill than what it does to house and treat them."

An SA government spokesperson said it was spending $78.6 million for homelessness services in 2026–27.

"Our specialist homelessness services provide access to 261 crisis beds, alongside 459 transitional housing properties across the four regional Homelessness Alliances," the spokesperson said.

An integrated social housing network for people with mental health challenges opened this month in Clearview in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

"Haven Clearview is a Mind Australia supported housing service for people experiencing mental health challenges, with NDIS-funded supports," the spokesperson said.

The facility received $5.8 million in state government funding and was said to be the first of its kind in the state.