Shaylee’s Story

From the brink of homelessness to an incredibly bright future, Shaylee’s life has come full circle.

She recently shared her story with us, and the role Kids Under Cover has played in her journey.

In 2011 I was 17 and my 13-year-old cousin moved in with us. Her previous living situation wasn’t suitable anymore and we wanted her to be with family. We had less than one-weeks’ notice that she was coming and had to scramble to make room for her. When she moved in, I was the one to share a bedroom with her.

The lack of room created a lot of tension and no one had personal space. It was really impacting relationships in our family.

I considered moving out because it was such a high stress environment, it wasn’t liveable anymore. I had extended time away from home and I was staying with friends to get away. Looking back on it now, I was on the brink of homelessness.

I was about to drop out of school. The extra pressures of education on top of the stress at home created an environment I couldn’t study in.

A Kids Under Cover studio was recommended to us, and we got it in 2012 when I was starting my final year of high school. I was finally able to get the quiet space I needed to study, and I got a higher score in VCE than I thought I would.

The studio meant all the negatives in my life have been flipped to positives. Having the studio really grew my independence and gave me a direction in my life. I didn’t have to couch surf and I had space to get to where I wanted to be.
Now I am doing my Diploma of Community Services and I want to give the opportunity I had to others. I want to empower girls to know that even if your life has gone a certain way, you can improve it.

The studio meant our family dynamic became stronger because we weren’t living on top of each other. We had our own space to flourish.

It’s amazing how the small addition of the space can have such a huge difference.

To the people who made my studio possible, I want to say thank you. You have empowered me and given me the opportunity to change my life for the better. It means so much that donors believe in giving someone a better life.