When Mia began looking for a new home, she wanted something simple: an affordable place closer to her daughter’s school. Her daughter was about to start high school, and Mia knew the years ahead would bring longer days, demanding training schedules and growing academic pressures. More than anything, she wanted her daughter to have a stable base—a place where she could focus on being a teenager.
When Mia found the apartment, one detail stood out immediately: the tram stop at the end of the street went directly to her daughter’s school. It felt like things were finally falling into place.
They moved in just before Year 7, and for the next six years, the apartment became far more than a place to live.
Everything her daughter needed was close by—the gym, the pool, the athletics track where she trained and even a part-time job nearby. While her daughter’s schedule was busy, life around her was easy and accessible. The stability allowed her to thrive. She went on to become school captain, win a national title in 2022 and is now preparing to begin university at RMIT.
For Mia, the impact was just as significant.
After years of housing insecurity, she was no longer living with the constant fear of rent increases or having to move. The affordable rent and security of staying in one place gave her the chance to focus on her health and wellbeing. Living with the effects of trauma, chronic migraines, fatigue and other health challenges, she found that having a stable home created space to heal.
She also found something unexpected: community. Neighbours became friends, and the apartment became a place where both she and her daughter felt supported and connected.
As her confidence returned, Mia took on more work, including a role in mental health outreach. Eventually, she was able to save enough money to purchase her own home—a milestone she once thought might be out of reach.
Today, she and her daughter have more space and a new chapter ahead of them. But Mia still looks back on that apartment with gratitude.
Because it wasn’t just somewhere they lived.
It was the foundation that allowed them both to grow, heal and build a brighter future.
For Mia, a safe and affordable home changed everything.
