‍As 2025 draws to a close, Danielle shares her experiences of taking part in media interviews this year and how she’s using her voice to shift perspectives of homelessness. 

When I was first approached to share my experience of homelessness, I was terrified. Nobody wants to admit that they are homeless, travelling around and living in hotels. I thought I would be embarrassed; I just wanted to bury that part of my life and pray for it to be over.

My experience of homelessness was not a choice; it began with a Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction when my landlord wanted to sell the property. I fought tooth and nail to stay where I was, but in the last year I’ve had to move four times with my three young children - often living in hotels or unsuitable accommodation far away from schools. 

The power of sharing my story

The process of sharing my story in the media has given me a new, focused goal. And I am not alone. I’ve had people I met in hotels come to me and say, ‘It’s good that you’re using your voice, because it’s not something we could have mustered up the courage to do’. Knowing that I’ve said the things that they wanted to say, but couldn’t, makes it all worthwhile.

And the more I spoke, the more determined I became. My embarrassment turned to anger - not at my situation, but at the broken system that put me and my children there. I realised that if the local council wouldn’t listen to me as an individual, I could try to go through a bigger platform to make a change.

Advice for journalists 

For any journalist covering these issues, sensitivity and aftercare are crucial. I was never pushed to share parts of my story that I didn’t want to - my privacy was always respected. And the support didn’t stop when the interview finished. 

Things such as turning comments off on some social media platforms meant I didn’t have to deal with potential negative comments. This is essential, because a story is no good if a person's mental health suffers for it. I still speak with the journalist now as well. The support didn’t end when the article was published.

My advice to anyone considering sharing their own story is this: the more people who share their story, the more we can show how different, but how difficult, homelessness is for everyone. Hopefully, it makes it feel less of an isolating situation to be in and to create a community where we can support one another. I'd also like to see more voices being used, as the louder the noise, the harder it is for the government to ignore us.

The future

The last year has been the most difficult year of our lives. I vowed when we moved to where we are now that if this is the only Christmas we get here, I would make this the best Christmas I possibly can for my children. 

We will be at home with one another. I can't wait to see my children get to lay out cookies for Santa and wake up Christmas morning to presents under the tree and just see them experience Christmas as a child should in a place they are calling home. 

I hope the new year brings consistency for my children and they continue to get back their childhood. For myself, I hope I can continue to use my voice to help make a change in this very broken system.

- If you’re a journalist, you can use CHI’s best practice checklist when reporting on homelessness.