‘The only way I can survive’: co-living as a single parent

Lenine Bourke (right), with children Luca and Arkie, lives with Coonan (left), and his children Bernie, Greg and Ray, to save costs and share childcare. Photograph: Jamila Filippone

I was a single parent to an eight-year-old, balancing parenting and part-time work with completing a master’s degree in 2020. My son and I lived in a converted Queenslander, and despite its somewhat faded charm and convenient location, the flat had no living room, back yard, ceiling fans or air-conditioning.

We got by with limited space until lockdowns meant I spent almost all of my time at the kitchen table – working, completing uni assignments, trying to homeschool a very active child, writing, eating and socialising via Zoom. By the middle of the year I was dreaming of an alternative home with more space, even though I didn’t think I could afford it.