Jess' story

As a very young child Jess was raised in a violent home in regional New South Wales.

Both parents were addicted to a combination of drugs and alcohol.

Jess experienced sexual abuse and was removed from home and placed in the Child Protection system before age 10. After living in residential care units for other young people unable to find foster care placements, Jess frequently ran away and became homeless.

Around 13 she started travelling to the city to escape. She became pregnant at a young age and now has a young son, who was also placed into care at a young age. Jess has experienced deep trauma and finds it hard to keep stable accommodation.

Whitelion engaged Jess through its Street Outreach service on the streets of Sydney and helped her find secure accommodation and has helped Jess stabilise her life to the point where she can commence regular contact with her son. Jess has also built up work experience skills and is aiming for part time employment in the future.

Jess is passionate about helping at risk youth find help when they are on the streets.

How UnLtd helps young people like Jess:

UnLtd supports Whitelion through major fundraising initiatives such as the Adland Bail Out and through facilitating partnerships with organisations such as Ogilvy and Quantcast. In 2019 UnLtd coordinated the first every fundraising and awareness campaign for Whitelion, created by Ogilvy and supported by over 30 media organisations with $5m of media inventory donated. The campaign resulted in a 146% uplift in donations for Whitelion.

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