• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Mum admits she gave up four of her seven children because she could no longer afford them

Home> Life

Published 13:31 7 Mar 2023 GMT

Mum admits she gave up four of her seven children because she could no longer afford them

The mum said it makes her 'break down' that she can't give her kids the home they deserve

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

A desperate mum in Australia has revealed she's had to give up four of her children because she can't afford to give them 'the home they deserve'.

Herbriella George, from New South Wales, is mum to seven children and is one of about 160,000 people in Australia waiting for public housing. She was told she could have to wait years and years for a home, and 'just couldn't afford' to care for all of her children amid her search. Hear her story below:

Herbriella has been on the waiting list for public housing for a decade, and despite applying for 60 to 70 properties during her wait she's had no luck in securing a home.

It wasn't until she came across a mould-covered property in southern Sydney that she knew she'd be able to move in, because it was unlikely anyone else would apply for the $450 (£250)-a-week home.

Advert

Speaking to The Project about her ordeal, Herbriella explained: "I knew looking at the picture that no one was going to apply for that home because I wouldn't have done it myself if I wasn't desperate, but I was."

The home is infested with rats, and the spread of the mould has forced Herbriella to throw away many of her belongings. But she had no choice, with the only other option being to 'live in [her] car'.

Herbriella admitted she doesn't know what to feed her children sometimes.
Ten/The Project

The poor conditions mean that most of Herbriella's children live with their father, who is in a better financial position than her.

Advert

"I had to give four of my children up because I just couldn't afford them anymore," she explained. "There are days that I don't even know what to put on the table to feed them. It makes me break down that I can't give my kids the home they deserve."

As many as 220,000 people in NSW are homeless, living in substandard housing or spending more than 30 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads, according to Community Housing Industry Association CEO Mark Degotardi.

The mum had to give up belongings due to the mould.
Ten/The Project

Community housing aims to offer secure and affordable rental housing for residents in need, and is one of three ways social housing is provided in NSW, along with public housing and Aboriginal housing.

Advert

According to the New South Wales government, approximately 28,000 households live in community housing in the state, with the houses going to residents who are on 'very low to low incomes and unable to meet their housing needs in the private rental market'.

Featured Image Credit: Ten/The Project

Topics: Health, Parenting

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • Getty Stock Images
    2 hours ago

    Red flags that could mean someone has 'smiling depression'

    The condition is also commonly referred to as 'high-functioning depression'

    Life
  • Getty Stock Images
    a day ago

    How to tell if you actually have ADHD or not following 'rise in self-diagnoses'

    Two doctors have shared their expertise on the subject

    Life
  • NHS
    a day ago

    Woman who went for simple eye test gets told she's having a heart attack without realising

    Norma Booth, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, credits the NHS' latest blood pressure testing protocol in opticians with saving her life

    Life
  • Getty Stock Image
    2 days ago

    'Matcha mouth' explained by doctor as woman hospitalised after experiencing 'painful' side effects

    The Japanese drink is made from the finely ground powder of green tea, and specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves

    Life
  • Jennifer Lopez admits she has heartbreaking question about her children amid Ben Affleck divorce
  • Mum shares three subtle signs she’s noticed in her ADHD child that she thinks may actually be autism
  • Mum explains sad reason she made decision to put 13-year-old daughter on Mounjaro
  • Woman sues IVF clinic after claiming she gave birth to another family's baby