Yosan’s Story   

Yosan and her brother were homeless and had been couch surfing for about a year. The rent they were paying to stay with friends left them with basically nothing. The financial pressure and the need to find stable housing placed Yosan under a lot of stress. It was affecting her grades and she was ready to drop out of school. It was at this point that a Red Cross worker referred Yosan and her brother to YFS.

Yosan and her brother came to Australia from Sudan as minors without their guardians. Yosan has now turned 18, her brother is still a minor. While it would be possible for Yosan to find separate housing, she was determined to stay with her brother, so YFS Youth Development Coaches Larissa and Patrick advocated to obtain guardianship with Multicultural Australia to help the siblings find housing together.

“We had to push really hard for Yosan to be housed with her brother as they don’t usually house adults with minors,” Larissa says. “This was one of the first cases, if not the first, so they didn’t really know how to proceed.”

It took a while, but eventually they were approved for housing, and they are now living in a home together, with Multicultural Australia as guardian. Yosan says, “It meant a lot to have my brother with me. I don’t have to worry about him forgetting our culture, and where we came from and who we are.”

Yosan says her life has become much easier and less stressful.

In addition to helping with housing Larissa assisted Yosan with a whole range of supports including help to access Centrelink payments, driving lessons, and attending medical appointments.  

Yosan’s brother is also thriving. “There’s a lot changed from how he was while we were staying at my friend’s house,” she says. “He’s eating more and putting on weight. He was so skinny. Now he’s like a whole different person.”

Yosan appreciates Larissa’s ongoing support. “I can rely on Larissa for so much stuff,” she says. “She never judges me, I can be open around her. There’s never been a day where I asked Larissa to help, and she said no. Even when she went on leave, she made sure that they [YFS staff] called me and checked up on me.”

Yosan has now graduated from high school and her goal is to work in health services. Larissa is supporting her to connect with an employment agency and get her driver’s licence so she can continue her study and work goals.

Larissa says Yosan is one of the strongest people she‘s ever met, but Yosan says you can’t be strong all the time. “There’s days where you want to give up and stuff. [On those days] I just sit down and cry myself out until it gets better.”

Her advice to others is to reach out for help. “I was scared before to be judged for my story of how I grew up but it’s like if I don’t tell them how are they going to find out? So be open. You’re not going to lose anything, so tell them your story. Life is tough, but you can make it easier for yourself.”