'I was about to be homeless with my kids… then I reached out to a school mum'

"As the moving day deadline approached and I was falling apart, I saw a Facebook post from an acquaintance... so I messaged her," the Adelaide mum reveals.

When Ros was told her lease wouldn’t be renewed late last year, panic set in.

“They initially gave me four weeks’ notice, but they ended up giving me three months,” the Adelaide mum-of-two tells Kidspot.

Little did the 52-year-old realise just how dire the housing crisis in her area really was.

Ros spent her entire three-month notice period applying for more than 70 properties all over the Adelaide area without success.

“I even had to apply for those at $400 per week because there was so little available under that, which was crazy as I would never would have been able to afford it,” she says frustratingly.

“I was definitely discriminated against for being a single parent. They favour couples with a double income - they don’t want kids or pets.”

“I was definitely discriminated against for being a single parent. They favour couples with a double income for rentals." Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"It's impossible to get a rental as a single parent"

As the moving day deadline approached, it all became too much for Ros - who lives with sons, Rhys, 13, and Laan, 10 - to handle.

“I didn’t cope very well… I fell apart,” she admits.

“The boys felt the stress too because they could see how bad I was. It got to the point where I was resigned to thinking I would have to find an alternative, like hiring a caravan and putting it in my mum’s yard, because I couldn’t find somewhere.”

In a fortuitous twist of fate, that same week, Ros saw a Facebook post from an acquaintance and fellow school mum, Josie, asking for any leads on rentals as she and her daughter, Hannah, 8, would soon have to vacate their own property.

“I reached out to her, saying that I’d been struggling to find somewhere and said, ‘Let’s chat if you’re open to the possibility of sharing’.”

“We had a list of things that were ideal, and what we would compromise on." Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"It's the only way we could secure an affordable home for our families"

The pair met for coffee to initially just share tips on applying for properties separately, but ended the conversation with an agreement to seek out a rental that they could share.

“We both knew this was the only way we would be able to secure an affordable home for our families.” 

The two mums then discussed how they wanted to live, to ensure each would be accommodating, and nutted out all their requirements with bedrooms and shared living spaces.

“We had a list of things that were ideal, and what we would compromise on,” Ros explains.

“We had to be flexible with some things to make it work.”

RELATED: Rental crisis leaves Queensland single mum homeless

The two separate dwellings joined by a formal dining and rumpus room, both Ros and Josie have their own ‘wings’ with independent bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and small living rooms. Source: Supplied to Kidspot

“It’s more rent than we wanted to pay, but it’s perfect for two families"

Luck was finally on their side, and on Christmas Eve last year, they secured the perfect  suburban property close to school just a few days before Ros and her boys would have been homeless.

With two separate dwellings joined by a formal dining and rumpus room, both Ros and Josie have their own ‘wings’ with independent bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and small living rooms.

The laundry is shared but they are able to have two separate washing machines.

It was so ideal that they went slightly above their combined budget, paying $750 per week.

“It’s more than we wanted to pay, but it’s perfect for two families,” Ros, who splits rent and bills with Josie 50/50, says.

“We couldn’t have imagined something better than this. It was worth it to pay this much.”

RELATED: Single mum’s plea after 20 rental applications rejected

"Funnily enough, the one thing we’ve had issues sharing is the clothes line." Source: Supplied to Kidspot

"The biggest adjustment is living with another adult again!"

Once the families met up as a group and worked out their schedules and routines to happily cohabitate, it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

“They go to bed earlier than us, so we make sure we have quiet time after that, and Josie asked if it would be okay to have her blender on in the mornings for smoothies, so we understand what the other family needs… it just works out really well.”

For both parents, who have lived as the only adults in their households for years, there has of course been a few compromises. 

“Having to learn to share again after being the only adult in a house for so long has been the biggest adjustment,” Ros laughs.

“I can’t just walk to my bedroom from the shower without clothes on, because it happens to be along the central living area, so there are things you have to be aware of when there are others around.

“We also have to talk to each other when we have people coming over for celebrations and that type of thing. Funnily enough, the one thing we’ve had issues sharing is the clothes line, for those rare instances when we’ve both had to do the washing at the same time, there just isn’t enough space.”

“We’ll sit out on the back lawn and eat together in the evenings." Source: Supplied to Kidspot

Only able to secure a six-month lease, Ros already worries what will happen come June when they may be asked to pay more rent, or worse still, move out.

“We are so conscious of not making repair requests because neither of us want to move out, and because we aren’t the ‘ideal’ people and both don’t work full time, there’s a fear that they’ll find someone else who looks like they’re more reliable on paper… it’s scary.”” she says nervously.

RELATED: I’ve gone without food and hygiene products to pay rent

“It’s so nice as a single mum to have grown-up company"

For the time being, however, Ros is enjoying the added benefits of sharing a house with a fellow school mum.

“We’ll sit out on the back lawn and eat together in the evenings,” she smiles.

“It’s so nice as a single mum to have grown-up company to talk to at the end of a long day with a glass of wine. We’re building this really cool friendship. If one of us is at the shops, we ask if the other person needs something, and help each other that way, too.”

Together, they are unexpectedly building the village they’ve always wanted. 

“The younger kids play together every night, too,” Ros says warmly.

“Laan doesn’t want the iPad anymore because he’s got company, and Hannah doesn’t have a sibling, so Laan is like a bonus brother. It’s like a family - as unconventional as we are, it’s really, really nice.

“Neither of us want to move anytime soon. We just want to continue supporting each other. We feel so blessed to have a safe, comfortable home together.” 

Originally published as 'I was about to be homeless with my kids… then I reached out to a school mum'