b'A place to call homeEveryone deserves safeand secure housing.Rachael *found this throughthe From Homelessnessto a Home program. As she answered the phone, Rachael neverRachael explained how she struggled with mental imagined the call would change her life. Shakinghealth issues, the effects of family violence and with shock, she broke down in tearsUniting haddrug and alcohol addiction. But now, she is ready approved her application for a home of her own.for a new chapter. Supported by the Victorian Governments FromDrug-free for over a year, she now has a long-term Homelessness to a Home initiatives, Rachaelhome - providing the stability and wellbeing she finally had hope for her future. needs to save for a car and apply for jobs.Rachael was 18 years old when she firstBefore, I had basically given up, she says.experienced homelessness. Kicked out of theI thought life wasnt going to get any better.house by her mother, she couch-surfed, staying It never had for me. in over 26 different places in the last 4 years. For the first time, Rachael will have a place toI have lived with people in the past, she says. call her own - without a time limit.I moved in with partners, and most relationshipsJust knowing I am going to have a place thatturned into domestic abuse. is mine - a place to call home - means the worldRachael reached out to Uniting after returningto me.to Ballarat. After living with her dad, she foundThis program has changed my life for the better. herself without a home - again. Connecting with Uniting, she found support in transitional housing.*This is a true story about a real person. Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the person featured. The But, for Rachael, the accommodation carousel keptphoto accompanying this story is for illustrative purposes only. It is not turning. She went from youth accommodation toa photo of the person featured in this story.living with partners, from a drug detox facility to a friends placean endless cycle. 24 Uniting Vic.Tas Annual Report 2020-2021'