Lucy moved in with us a few years ago after she left her violent partner. The police said it was one of the worst cases of family violence they had ever seen. She had woken up in a hotel room on a pillow soaked in blood, her lip sliced through. At this point, she knew she had to get out.
Knowing that and doing it are two different things.
At 20, Lucy was mature – being quite the mother hen, looking out for the others around her, and building community wherever she went. And just like many of our young people, Lucy has a lot of trauma to unpack.
When you have lived through abuse, you are used to a kind of fixed state of urgency that impacts you physically. At times, this means you may not always be aware of what is happening around you or even within your own body. You are holding your breath more than is appropriate. Then, when you try to intake air, it comes as a gasp.
Living with us at Fusion’s House and with people around her to listen, support, and advocate for her, Lucy could begin to take a few easier breaths and recognise herself and her body.
Lucy entered the kitchen one morning: ‘I knew something was different. Guess what! I’m pregnant!’
She was at 22 weeks, over halfway through a pregnancy.
At this point in the dance, our remarkable casework and housing team pivots its steps.
They are now seeking housing for a family. They are also supporting birth, prenatal care, and recovery for a mum and baby.
Women who have escaped violent relationships often describe a kind of loneliness that collides with fear and shame, confusing a survivor to wonder, ‘Am I lovable?’ When parenthood started to stare her down, Lucy also asked and explored difficult questions: ‘Should my baby know his father?’
How does a new mum process a world like this? How does someone who had lived with a father who introduced her to hard substance abuse at the age of 11, and who grew up in a world moving from foster care to residential care, recognise what steps to take now, as a mother?
Well, Lucy had a place at Fusion. She had Jac, our Families Worker, and Kristy, our Housing Coordinator, who became Lucy’s birthing partners.
This team found a real estate agent, a landlord, and a community bank that subsidised the rent for a unit, just in time for her to bring her baby home. This was a real sacrifice for the homeowner and for the bank.
Now with little Bubba, Lucy was able to move into her home. She was an attentive mum with a strong bond with her baby from the beginning. But it wasn’t to last.
In the early days of separation from the baby’s father, Lucy, in a particularly vulnerable moment, made contact with him. She then made a series of choices that led her to leave the state and move in again with him. Eventually, Lucy was back in hospital again, the victim of violence. The baby’s father also acquired the services of a high-paid lawyer and took Lucy to court to gain custody of their little bubs. How can a young woman in her situation come up against that?
Imagine if Lucy didn’t go back to him. She could have had a fighting chance to thrive. Imagine if Lucy had been able to stay at Fusion’s Housing Service throughout the first 18 months of her baby’s life, supported by a team who were right there whenever that loneliness gaped its ugly maw, when the self-loathing whispered its hate-filled chorus in her ear. Imagine if time in a safe and therapeutic home could have encouraged her status as a mother and caregiver, strengthening her skills and confidence. Imagine if, when Lucy was ready, that beautiful home, built with the sacrificial support of caring people in our community, could have been a place she was better prepared for a life of flourishing for her beautiful Bubba and for herself.
Sometimes, we are not ready to go out on our own. Our solo moment is still to come. A roof over our heads is not enough.
For over 40 years, we have offered countless young people a home. It is time to extend that to our little families like Lucy’s so that they have the opportunity they need to find their feet in a highly complex time of their lives and learn the skills they will need to thrive.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those in our network who have faithfully donated and supported this work. Together, we can break the vicious cycle of homelessness and violence in our community.
Gemma Bell (Team Leader, Fusion Mornington Peninsula)