Kellie Jones is glad she was never homeless in Canberra.
She slept in her car for months as an 18-year-old in Brisbane.
At least the weather was not an issue, she reflects as she volunteers for homelessness service Orange Sky Australia in Queanbeyan.
"Down here is freezing and it's a lot rougher to be sleeping rough when it's minus 6," Kellie says.
At only 19, she attracted the interest of a man in his 30s.
He took her into his home, and it seemed like her homelessness nightmare was over.
"I went from the pan to the fire," Kellie says.
"I fell in love with this man, but I know now in hindsight that I fell in love with the security he offered me. He had a car and a house and a job and a boat, but he then took control of me and completely isolated me. I was easy prey."
Now 51, Kellie lives in Googong and works as an accountant.
She is a mother and has been with her partner for 22 years.
Outgoing and happy, she chats and laughs openly.
But even as the years go by, those months living homeless are never far away.
Kellie says she was independent from age 16, working jobs after school to support herself, and by 18 had finished studying accounting.
"I couldn't get work in that field because I hadn't actually had any office experience," she says.
"I delivered pizzas and just because [my] substance abuse and mental health was not great, I lost my job.
"I'm very lucky to actually have had a car."
Kellie says she had pre-existing mental health issues from childhood which led to substance abuse at a young age.
"People are very quick to label people as alcoholics and drug addicts, but there's always an underlying issue," she says.
"It doesn't lend itself to living a stable life."
She has been sober for nine years.
Australian data shows a link between mental illness and homelessness.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says, "for many people with a mental illness, achieving and maintaining a stable home can prove difficult".
Nearly half of females presenting to Australian specialist homelessness services had problematic drug or alcohol issues and 63 per cent had current mental health issues.
Kellie moved to the Canberra region in 2020, and has been volunteering with Orange Sky since November 2022.
They have moving vans which include washing machines, and sometimes showers.
They visit spots across Canberra, like Dickson, Reid, the city, Charnwood, Gungahlin, Oaks Estate, Fyshwick and Turner, throughout the week.
Volunteers sit around and offer company, along with a wash.
"We don't offer solutions to people's innermost problems," Kellie says.
"We're there for the here and now, and we're there for you to have some clean clothes and a yarn if you want it."
She even drove up to Forbes for a few days after the floods with one of the vans.
It allowed people who had lost almost everything to at least wash some clothes or sentimental items.
"When the media stops covering the disaster ... [Orange Sky has] vans there, making sure these people have access to clean clothes," Kellie says.
During September, the Australian-founded group is fundraising through the "Sudsy Challenge".
They are asking people to wear the same unwashed clothes for three days and ask for donations.
There is a benefit to being in Canberra compared to a warmer climate, Kellie has learned.
It is not quite as stinky here.
But there are still the socks.
"My feet just felt so disgusting [and] it brought back a lot of memories for me, even from 30 years ago," Kellie says.
- Find out more about Orange Sky Australia and the Sudsy Challenge at thesudsychallenge.com.au.
