WORDS CARRIE LYELL
Kat N Jagne was just 17 when she found herself homeless. A “misunderstanding” with her family meant she was forced to move out, but with nowhere to go, she ended up sofa surfing around various friends’ houses or, when her luck ran out, wandering the streets until it was light outside. Days were spent in the library, killing time, and trying to figure out where she was going to get money to feed herself.
The impact of homelessness, both on Kat’s mental and physical health, was profound, and she ended up being hospitalised for two months for an eating disorder. “It technically wasn’t an eating disorder,” she says, “I just didn’t have money to eat. It really broke me down. I felt like there was no one I could ask for help.”