When Safety Means Starting From Nothing

Salma sat on the edge of a borrowed mattress, watching her baby finally fall asleep, trying not to think about the fact that they had nowhere that truly belonged to them.

Just a few months earlier she had been living with her husband and their nine month old daughter, believing that whatever their arguments were, at least their child had a roof over her head. One night that changed. The shouting turned to threats, and the threats turned into something she could not ignore anymore. A slammed door, a bag thrown at her feet, and suddenly she and her baby were outside with nowhere safe to go.

A support worker from a local family services organisation helped her find emergency accommodation, but it was temporary. Salma was now a single mum with two very young children, no family nearby, no stable income and no idea how she would keep a roof over their heads once the crisis support ended. The rent in her new city was far higher than she had ever imagined, and every inspection felt like a competition she could not win.

Centrelink payments covered just enough to stop the panic for a week at a time. After rent, there was barely anything left for nappies, formula or a simple bus ticket to get to the clinic. Some days she skipped meals so that there would be enough food for the children. Other days she pretended she was not hungry so her daughter would not worry. The shame of asking for help again and again weighed heavily on her, yet so did the fear of going back.

When her case worker referred her to the National Zakat Foundation, Salma felt both hopeful and scared. Would anyone believe her story, or would they judge her for leaving, for not having savings, for not being able to provide everything on her own. She was not asking for luxuries. She was asking for safety, for stability, for a chance to raise her children without the constant fear of being forced back into a violent situation.

Your Zakat, Her Right.

Local Zakat support helped Salma cover urgent living costs and rent, bridging the gap between crisis accommodation and a longer term home. It meant she could say yes to a lease without wondering how she would pay the first few weeks. It meant her children did not have to move from couch to couch or shelter to shelter while she tried to rebuild her life. It meant a Muslim woman who looked just like so many others in our community was not left to face violence and homelessness alone.

This is Zakat in Australia, building a local community where safety is not a privilege but a right.