Beza’s story: From saving for a house to crisis housing — while pregnant

Pregnant with her son Yeabsira, Beza feared she would be homeless when she gave birth. Her relationship had ended; her health required ongoing treatment; she’d had to stop work as a nurse. “If you said ‘Hi, how are you?’ I would probably break into tears,” she recalls.

Beza's story - Woman standing with arms crossed in front of a colourful tiled wall at a community centre, wearing a patterned top and blue cardigan. — Beza standing outside North Melbourne Community Centre, where her new workplace, HIPPY North Melbourne, operates.

The stress was overwhelming. A conversation with her midwife connected Beza to a social worker, and then to the housing support she needed.

After a period in crisis and transitional accommodation, Beza and Yeabsira, who graduated from BSL’s North Melbourne HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters) in November, moved into a secure apartment. “I am lucky from that perspective — I know people who have been waiting ten years,” she says. “To maintain your health, you need a secure place to call home.”

Today, with Yeabsira about to start school, Beza is back working three days a week, now as a HIPPY tutor, and rebuilding the future she imagined.