During the devastating 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, Gabbi’s neighbours stood and watched helplessly from the distance as a massive forest fire roared over the ridge and engulfed her house.

Gabbi’s home was one of 10 lost on their Paddy’s Flat multiple occupancy community that day, just west of Bonalbo. The fires were so ferocious, with trees exploding and searing flames catapulting into the sky, that no one could do a thing except save their own lives and get out of the way.

Gabbi was in Adelaide at the time. The phone call from back home was devastating. ‘Everything I had in the world was in that house. Everything apart from the carry-on bag I had taken on the plane to Adelaide. I was in shock for days. It seemed incomprehensible to me,’ she said.

Gabbi stayed in Adelaide with friends, family and UnitingCare SA for a few months as the whole nation grappled with the grim reality of the unprecedented bushfires that were raging across most of Australia. When she heard there were government workers coming to the community to help residents clean up, she drove back home with the help of a generous friend, to see if anything could be salvaged.

‘Not a memory remained. Not even my cast iron wood stove survived the inferno. My house had been burned to the ground. I had no insurance. And I was now a mature-aged homeless woman with nowhere to live. The thought of starting again was daunting. I just stood there in disbelief crying. How had it come to this?’

By chance, Gabbi learned about a program called Container of Dreams, which was offering a series of practical, hands-on workshops for small groups of participants so they could learn how to build a tiny home on wheels.

The dwellings sit on a large trailer and can be easily towed and include a kitchenette, a bathroom with a full-sized bath and toilet, plus lounge and dining zones, and a pull-down queen-sized wall bed for sleeping in comfort.

‘I desperately needed a home to live in and if I could learn how to build one with my own hands using some basic skills and tools, that would be amazing. I’d never built anything before, but I was super excited by the idea. It was the first time I felt optimistic in months.’

Gabbi got in touch with Clare Urquhart, founder of Container of Dreams, and joined her workshop group.

‘At our first workshop, Clare told me that the tiny house that I'd be working on was actually going to end up being donated to me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was so amazing. I was so emotional.’

Clare’s vision is to help vulnerable and homeless people, including those who have lost their homes in bushfires and floods, to acquire a tiny home on wheels. Her project provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to build it, and hands-on practical help from a team of volunteer tradespeople who work alongside them.

Healthy North Coast Chief Executive Officer, Julie Sturgess, said the 2019-2020 bushfires had a devastating impact on North Coast communities, with hundreds of local homes lost. ‘We were pleased to be able to offer funding to the Container of Dreams project. Awarded grants have supported 21 projects designed to help build social connection, mental wellbeing and resilience, and to support healing and recovery from the impact of the bushfires,’ she said.

‘Grant funding of up to $10,000 per project is being delivered through the North Coast PHN Program and the Australian Government’s ‘Supporting Communities in Bushfire Recovery’ initiative. We are currently assessing a final round of applications and those winners will be announced shortly.’

Gabbi said. ‘When I go out to the worksite and start working on my tiny home, I feel so glad for the skills I am being taught. The knowledge that when it is finished, I will be able to get a truck and tow it onto my land, is incredibly motivating.'

‘It's been really great for my mental health as well. I was having a big struggle with PTSD since the fires and finding it hard not to fall into depression every day. My whole community was shattered, so the only people I knew and mixed with were those who had lost everything like me.

‘Then when I moved to Lismore, it was into a motel and COVID had started, and everyone was self-isolating. Getting involved in the Container of Dreams project helped save my life. The companionship and support I have received have been tremendous, not to mention the skills I am being taught by a whole bunch of amazing tradespeople involved in the project.’

CEO and founder of Container of Dreams, Clare Urquhart, developed her business idea following her PhD research project, Container of Dreams, during which she converted a shipping container into a small home.

‘A house is a container of dreams. We all dream of having our own home. Sadly, this dream is getting further and further away for so many in our community,’ she said.

‘Around 2,500 homes – many uninsured – perished in the devastating Australian bushfires of 2019 and 2020, causing a homelessness crisis.

‘At Container of Dreams we are committed to assisting these people to rebuild their lives and to enjoy the security of affordable housing.’

To find out more, or to donate to the Container of Dreams project: http://www.containerofdreams.org/