When Aliah talks about her life today, the first thing she mentions isn’t the house itself.
“It’s just peaceful,” she says. For the first time in years, she and her three children have somewhere they can truly call home.
Nearly two years after moving into their WPI home, life looks very different. Her children, now 11, 9 and 7, are settled at school, have made friends and finally have the stability every child deserves.
“Everyone’s happy here,” Aliah says with a smile.
It wasn’t always this way. Their housing journey was marked by uncertainty. After their rental property was unexpectedly sold, they were given just two weeks to leave.
“It was quite stressful because we didn’t have proper time to get anything sorted.”
With nowhere else to go, the family moved into her mother’s already overcrowded home. Several generations of her family were living under one roof, and the lack of space quickly took its toll.
“I was mentally overwhelmed.”
Eventually, even that arrangement came to an end. For months, Aliah and the children moved from one hotel to another, never knowing where they would be staying from one week to the next.
“It was hard. Everything had a time limit.”
The instability affected every part of their lives. The children had already changed schools several times and had become used to moving from place to place.
“That’s the sad part. Since my first child was born, we’d already moved around quite a few times.”
Alongside the housing instability, she was also rebuilding her life after family violence and working through her own personal challenges. With support from specialist services, she was eventually connected with WPI.
When she was offered a WPI home, Aliah actually hesitated.
“I’d never even heard of the suburb. I looked it up and thought, ‘That’s a long way away.’ Everyone I knew was in the other direction.”
But after thinking it through, she decided it could be the fresh start her family needed.
“I prayed on it and thought, maybe this is a new beginning.”
It turned out to be exactly that. The house was brand knew and had plenty of light and space.
“Ever since moving here, I’ve been sober and feel stable.”
Today, she speaks with pride about how much has changed.
One of the biggest differences isn’t just having a roof over their heads—it’s knowing they don’t have to prepare for the next move.
“This is the first time where there’s no time limit. We don’t have to worry about being kicked out. As long as we’re good tenants and pay the rent, this is our home.”
That security has brought peace of mind for both her and her children.
“They don’t have to keep changing schools. They can just be kids.”
The family now enjoys simple things many people take for granted: walking to the beach, riding bikes, swimming together and spending time outdoors.
“We can walk down to the pier. Everything’s walkable. It’s just a different vibe here.”
This year Aliah also started working in housekeeping, another important milestone as she continues rebuilding her life.
Looking ahead, she’s thinking about studying mental health.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping people, especially after dealing with my own experiences. I like listening to people and understanding them.”
She hopes that one day she’ll be able to support others facing challenges similar to those she has overcome.
For now, though, she’s simply grateful for something her family went without for far too long. A stable home.
