A young woman was referred to Hawkesbury Outreach. She had been couch surfing with a family friend since New Year’s Eve after disclosing sexual abuse at home. The relationship with her friend was strained due to months of supporting her while juggling school and part-time work. She had limited contact with her family during this time.

When she was accepted to move into Richmond House, the staff supported her in settling in. This was a challenging period for her, as she had never been in a refuge environment before. She had to share the space with four others, deal with parental pressures, try to complete her HSC, and address complex mental health, intellectual, and autistic traits.

With the support of the staff, she completed her HSC and attended her formal. She began to branch out after burying herself in study and work to avoid addressing her abuse and family breakdown. She formed new friendships, started dating, and her confidence began to grow again. She then secured a childcare traineeship! The staff discussed that it was time for her to move on from Richmond House to the quieter, more settled environment of College Street.

She stayed at College Street for 10 months. Although she was thriving in her traineeship, she attempted to mend her relationship with her parents, which unfortunately resulted in her being assaulted again in the family home. This affected all aspects of her life—she broke up with her partner, started overstaying her welcome at friends’ places, and had days off work. She lost her confidence again, and the staff could see her starting to lose herself.

With the support and encouragement of the staff, she took control of her situation. She took some annual leave to heal and sourced a sexual assault counsellor. Ready for a fresh start, she decided to move into transitional accommodation. The staff supported the move, trying to make the lease signing and move around her work hours due to all the time she had already taken off. They prioritised this as they could see the positive effect the move was having on her and that she had taken control again.

She is now settled in transitional accommodation. She has been in her traineeship for 10 months and will be ready for private rental this time next year. We are astounded by her tenacity and perseverance.