Expensive apartment

Mother with two children forced to move into a shipping container

The Container House(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Because the rent became too high, a single mother is now creating a new home for herself and her two children between metal walls. For the small family, it’s a ray of hope in a difficult situation.

“We’re all sleeping in my old childhood bedroom now. I share the bed with the kids,” says Magdalena Maikisch. “We” refers to her and her two little boys. The older one is eight years old, the younger just three. Their current home is in Güssing, at the 31-year-old’s mother’s house. Space is tight. That’s because her mother’s partner and a person in need of care also live in the house. But that’s all that’s possible right now.

The “Alleinerziehend” association, led by Anika Karall (left), supports the small family.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Rent for apartment skyrocketed
She used to live in an apartment, Maikisch explains. But then the rent was raised drastically—hard to afford on her 20-hour-a-week job as a nursing assistant. Especially since the apartment didn’t have a yard. But that’s exactly what her two boys need, she says. Especially the older one, who has ADHD, a hyperactivity disorder. “He has to take medication; otherwise, he can’t handle school,” says the 31-year-old. After class, he needs to go out into the garden to somehow release his pent-up energy and tension. “He needs to be able to run.” He also needs therapeutic support.

The children’s father is no longer alive. For the eight-year-old, his dad is a taboo subject. The younger one, on the other hand, doesn’t understand the whole situation yet.

The container house(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

From Office to Home
But there is also a major ray of hope for the small family: a shipping container situated on a plot of land right next to her parents’ house. They plan to live there in the near future. “We could sleep there already, but we can’t use the bathroom,” says the single mother. The container offers about 80 square meters of living space. She received it secondhand; it had previously been used as an office.

She wants to furnish the container house as inexpensively as possible. She got lucky: she even received a kitchen and a bathtub as gifts. If all goes well, they’ll be able to move in by summer. She hopes the walls are well insulated so it doesn’t get too hot or too cold inside, says Maikisch. Radiators and fans are available just in case.

Currently, the interior is being furnished.(Bild: zVg)

Humor despite a difficult situation
The children are already excited, says the young mom. That’s one less thing for her to worry about. “They’ve already put their toys away.” For the small family, it will be their home for quite some time. The container solution is intended to last for the next five to ten years. Living in a container was certainly not on her list, Maikisch laughs. But she takes it in stride: “Not everyone has a house like this.”

Support needed
But because money is tight for the young mother and her two half-orphans, they have now turned to the association “Alleinerziehend – aber nicht allein” (Single Parent – But Not Alone). “This mother is carrying her family through a difficult time while simultaneously building a new home. Now she needs support so her children can find stability in their daily lives again,” says association chairwoman Anika Karall. 

Donation account: 
Association “Single Parent – But Not Alone”
AT28 5100 0900 1730 0700
Reference: “Container”