Terana's story

Terana came to Australia in 2005. Due to family breakdown she became homeless while pregnant. She was sleeping in her car and spending time in inappropriate forms of accommodation.

"My homelessness started in 2007. I was in different places. I had no place of my own. Sometimes I had to sleep in my friend’s car. I was never homeless before, even in my home country.

"This was very bad when I was pregnant with my daughter. I didn’t know what to do with no father for my baby and no support.

"My friend told me about HomeGround. First they put me in a hotel for two or three days because I was pregnant and had no place to sleep.

"From that first time I just felt something was opening up for me in my life. The people who really stood by me then were Ivana and Caitlin (HomeGround workers).

"I stayed for a few weeks in a shelter and they helped me apply for public housing. But I knew I would have to wait a long time so I went back to HomeGround, and the first thing Ivana said was that she was going to help me.

"Because HomeGround has a good heart, they started to help look for rental houses because I had just one month left until the baby was born. I was crying every day and thinking ‘what is going to happen?' I was just thinking about her, my baby.

"Caitlin put in my application for me. Within two days the agent called and said congratulations. We were all shocked. My friends had tried on their own, but real estate agents just looked at their Centrelink payments, not their character, and rejected them.

"I moved in to my place in March and my beautiful daughter was born in April. HomeGround paid my bond and first two months rent to make it possible.

"It’s an amazing feeling. I’m confident now with myself, my baby, everybody. I feel safe and strong.

"Now, I can go back to my life and have other options. When my daughter grows up I’ll tell her this story and she can read it. She will be proud because she was strong too."

HomeGround helped Terana to find and secure private rental housing, provided initial financial support, and continues to support her to ensure her tenancy is successful in the long-term.