Lucy's Story
Lucy had just turned 16 when she moved into one of our Nest properties with her four month old baby boy, Theo. Wanting a better future for herself and her baby, Lucy had left home to escape a mum who was violent and using drugs. To keep herself and Theo safe, she had also taken out a violence restraining order on her ex-boyfriend, Theo’s father.
Now with the support of our Nest worker, Lucy was able to focus on being the best mum she could. Not having lived by herself before, she didn’t have any independent living skills and was helped to set up utilities and learn vital skills such as budgeting and cleaning. As Theo grew, our Nest worker was there to guide Lucy through infant milestones such as transitioning to solids and getting immunisations. He thrived in a safe and loving house.
Lucy is a proud Ngadju woman and in a true display of generosity she doubled her parenting duties when a friend left her baby girl with Lucy while she traveled up north for two months. During this time Lucy showed a great deal of maturity and strength.
In July, Lucy decided to get her education back on track and enrolled at our Youth Futures Community School in Clarkson. Here she completed her Certificate II in General Education while also making an effort to get healthy through the yoga and gym classes offered. Again her positive attitude and dedication didn’t go unnoticed. She was presented with the Positive Participation Award at the school’s graduation ceremony in December.
Lucy is now living in a home of her own and is enrolled in a Cert III in Allied Health Assistance at TAFE which she hopes will lead to the completion of a university midwifery course.