WA couch surfer given winning lotto ticket

A West Australian woman who has been couch surfing since losing her home last year says she will no longer be putting a dent in her friends' sofa after winning a monthly income in the lottery.

The 40-year-old, who lost her home after falling into financial strife, says she hopes to use her windfall of $20,000 a month for 20 years to buy herself a house, donate to charity and buy her friend a new couch.

"What goes around comes around," she says, adding she wants help people who have found themselves in tough situations to return the favour of support given when she too was down on her luck.