Watching Western Australians arrive home after the border reopened last week has been tough for Bunbury resident Janelle Butler.
The lifting of the hard border closure after nearly two years is too little too late for her.
"The WA border opening doesn't fix the problem for the ones who don't have a home to go to," she said.
The 50-year-old has been stranded in New South Wales since last May, when she drove across the country to care for an unwell relative.
But the plan didn't work out.
Ms Butler and her two cats were left homeless with nothing but a box trailer of possessions.
Over the past 10 months, Ms Butler said, she had depleted her savings trying to survive, maintain her car and trailer and pay for accommodation at caravan parks and motels.
In the meantime, she said she had lost her rental and had been paying for storage of the remainder of her possessions in WA.
Her plan to undertake the cross-country trip home is a work in progress but with limited savings, the trip is unaffordable.
The Bunbury resident's hopes of getting home are more uncertain after WA Premier Mark McGowan did not rule out another border closure.
While Ms Butler supported Mr McGowan's actions in protecting the state from COVID-19, she said it had not helped her and others in difficult situations.
Ms Butler is grateful for the support of the Jabiru Motel at Nambucca Heads on the NSW Mid North Coast, where she has been staying since October.
Hotel owner Helena Smith remembers when Ms Butler drove up their driveway last October looking for long-term accommodation.
"She was quite distressed, she needed somewhere to stay," Ms Smith said.
The hotel doesn't usually allow longer-term stays, but after hearing of Ms Butler's plight, Ms Smith made an exception.
"She wanted to go home, she didn't think it would be long and then she'd be able to go home," she said.
"That hasn't happened.
But five months of living in a small hotel room, packed with her belongings and two cats, is taking its toll on Ms Butler.
"It's very cramped, it's like living in a storage unit," she said.
She is desperate to go home and restart her life.
