Every morning, Ebony stands in front of the mirror with her daughter Polly* in her arms. Together they smile at their reflections, sharing a quiet moment before the day begins.

There was a time when Ebony lived out of bags, moving between temporary accommodation, friends’ couches and wherever she could find a safe place to stay.

With support from Women’s Housing Company, today she has a safe place to call home. Holding her daughter in front of the mirror, Ebony remembers to take a moment to smile, reflect and appreciate the life she’s worked so hard to rebuild.

From surviving to starting over

Before finding a home with Women’s Housing Company, Ebony’s life was shaped by housing instability, grief and addiction.

“What was life like before Women’s Housing Company? Filled with anxiety. I was constantly feeling sick, worrying about my health, worrying about, I guess, everything around me,” she says.

For years, she moved between youth housing, friends’ homes, a caravan and temporary accommodation.

“I was always living out of a suitcase,” she recalls.

Alongside housing insecurity, Ebony was navigating the grief of losing her father and a growing dependence on alcohol. The constant uncertainty took its toll and planning for her future took second place as the struggle just to get through the day grew and grew.

Finding the strength to ask for help

Ebony knew for a long time that she needed support. But it always felt too hard to ask.

“In addiction, you have to want to get sober,” she says. “Other people can’t make that decision for you. When I felt I was finally ready, I reached out to Women’s Housing Company and said, ‘Please help me. I don’t know where to go from here’. My support coordinator literally drove me to rehab – picked me up with my bags and took me there.”

Coming out of rehab, Ebony moved into a new Women’s Housing Company property and experienced something she had rarely known before: stability.

A creative future worth working towards

Throughout the years of instability, one thing remained constant: Ebony’s passion for her work.

Her creativity and eye for detail helped her build a rewarding career creating and installing large-scale bespoke Christmas displays for shopping centres, high-end designer stores and local councils across New South Wales. When she speaks about her work, her enthusiasm is immediate.

“Can you see how I light up when I talk about my job? I love my job,” she says. “But you can’t get sober without security. You can’t keep a job without security.”

Now with stable accommodation, the determination and tenacity that helped Ebony build a successful career, and fight addiction, is what she’s now drawing on to build a brighter future for herself and Polly.

“This place is my last step to home,” she says. “I think being in such a small space reminds me of how big my goals are and how much more I want to achieve.”

The little things that matter most

For Ebony, the impact of having a safe home is found in the everyday moments many people take for granted.

Having a place where her belongings are safe, where she can return at the end of the day and where she no longer has to live out of bags has brought a sense of security she had been searching for, for years.

“Being able to go to my own toilet without having to worry about other people’s germs. That’s something that I appreciate about having a home,” she laughs.

But it also gave her the opportunity and confidence to become a mother.

“I’ve always desired that. But I always said to myself, ‘You can’t have that through addiction’.”

While Ebony is proud of the progress she has made, she is quick to acknowledge the support that helped her get there.

“I wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t for help from Women’s Housing Company,” she says. “Having this place is what made the next chapter possible.”

When asked what makes her happiest now, Ebony’s answer is simple: “There’s a million things,” she says. But just waking up in the morning, really.”

It’s those quiet moments in front of the mirror each morning reminding her not only of how far she has come, but of everything still ahead of her.

*Name changed to protect privacy.