Andrea, Emma and Robbie*

Like every loving mum, Andrea wants the world for her two children – Emma and Robbie*.

As an Australian Army veteran, Andrea is more equipped than most when it comes to enduring difficult situations. After all, it’s what she’s trained for… but fleeing danger is something that she never expected she’d have to do in her civilian life.

At first, when Andrea’s partner began to withdraw from her, she thought their problems were a side effect of ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns. Sadly it was something far more sinister. Not only had he lost a massive amount of money to online gambling, but he’d also fallen into drug addiction.

Heartbreakingly, Andrea eventually learned that her partner of more than two years was involved with a woman who turned out to be his drug dealer. And when she confronted them, the woman turned violent.

“I would never wish this upon anyone. Not knowing if you can feed your kids tomorrow, not knowing if you are safe, not knowing if you are going to have a roof over your head. It’s worse than anything.”

Andrea took her kids and left, but the worst was far from over. She began to receive phone calls threatening Emma and Robbie. She changed her number and moved from place-to-place, but they still found her. Even mundane tasks like going to the shops began to feel unsafe. Then one day, she opened her bank account to find it had been cleaned out.

“They took all my savings. $10,000, gone like that. They had full access to my internet banking, so she also took a loan out in my name. I couldn’t get approved for a rental property or anything else for our new life because I seemingly had this huge debt. And then my pay started disappearing as soon as it reached my account.”

To prove financial fraud, Andrea was left with little choice but to let this continue happening – pay after pay, for eight months – while the police and bank conducted their investigation. That left her no way to support her kids.

From emergency food to counselling, or financial support for bills and the cost of education, Legacy provided the family with personalised and practical care during their ordeal… and that’s a lifeline for mums like Andrea in their hour of need.

“Emma and Robbie didn’t ask for any of this. I tried to stay strong for them, but as soon as they went to sleep each night I would break down. Legacy is providing counselling to help my children work through everything.”

Every child deserves a safe and stable life, and that begins with their most basic needs being met. Legacy can provide financial support for mums like Andrea – from help with bills and rent to the cost of school uniforms and supplies, or even a second-hand car to help her get her kids to where they need to go.

And that means she can give her kids the stable life that they deserve.

*Names have been changed to protect identities