Hope Starts Here: Summer’s Story

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When Summer arrived in Australia from the Philippines, she dreamed of a fresh start. A chance to feel safe. To belong. To build a future. 

Instead, she felt invisible. 

“I didn’t really go out. I was just at home all day,” Summer says quietly. “I thought maybe I might not have anything in my future.” 

Home was not a place of comfort or safety. Living with her mum and her mum’s partner, Summer experienced family violence. Every day felt like survival mode. Eventually, it all became too much, and she had to get out. So, she ran away. 

Not because she wanted to...but because she was afraid for her life. 

Her only belongings were a backpack and some essentials for school. She didn’t even have a phone. 

Family violence and the control all became too much. So, I ran away with just a few basics in a backpack. I didn't even have a phone.  

Summer felt alone. Unsafe. Unsure of her future!  

Hope started with one person saying: you’re not alone – Her Youth Projects Outreach Worker - Claire 
 

““When everything was taken from her, hope started with one person saying: you’re not alone.” - Her Youth Projects outreach worker, Claire”

With nowhere safe to go, Summer found herself to be experiencing homeless. She moved between friends’ houses, couch surfing without basic essentials. She had no stability, no certainty, no place to rest. To make matters worse, she didn’t have any of her proof of identification, passport or visa information as her mum did not give her access to them and threatened to cancel her visa. Born overseas, and with no documentation, she lived with the constant fear that she could be deported any moment. 

Summer felt alone. Unsafe. Unsure of her future. 

“I always hoped someone would help me,” Summer says. “But I was scared to open up. I didn’t know who I could trust.” 

Finding Support When It Mattered Most 

School was the only place Summer still felt safe. It was there that she was referred to Youth Projects’ Youth Holistic Outreach Program (YHOP), and where she met Claire, a youth outreach worker. 

While she navigated family violence, homelessness and visa insecurity, Summer was also experiencing poor mental health and self-confidence which left her feeling limited in her ability to support herself alone.  

Sadly, Summer’s experience is not unique. 

“Family violence and homelessness are common themes we see,” says Claire. “Young people are carrying an enormous mental load. Their mental health is impacted at every step.” 

YHOP supports young people aged 12 to 25 across Hume, Merri-bek and Western Melbourne. Instead of responding to one crisis at a time, the program wraps around the whole young person, offering practical, compassionate support with housing, mental health care, education, employment, legal pathways and more. 

For Summer, that support changed everything. 

At first, even the smallest steps felt impossible. Making phone calls. Attending appointments. Following up referrals. But Claire was there, sitting beside her, advocating for her, reminding her she wasn’t alone. 

When things felt overwhelming, Summer had someone to turn to. Someone who could connect her with support services. Someone who believed in her, even when she didn’t believe in herself.  

From Survival to Strength 

Over time, something began to shift. 

Claire watched Summer begin to find her voice, moving from uncertainty to confidence. She started expressing clearly what she wanted and didn’t want, following up on referrals herself and feeling confident to take ownership of her next steps. 

““Now I think I can start doing things on my own, without feeling controlled or having to please everyone,” said Summer. ”

That growth, from fear to confidence, didn’t happen overnight. It happened because Claire her outreach worker consistently showed up. Because support was flexible. Because Summer was treated with respect, dignity and cultural sensitivity. 

Today, Summer is beginning to imagine a future again. She’s learning how to make decisions for herself and slowly reconnect with the parts of her childhood she never had space to heal. 

She’s even thinking about helping other young people one day. Young people feeling alone as she once did. “I want them to know they’re not alone,” she says. 

Why Your Support Matters 

Every day, young people like Summer experience homelessness, and the challenges don’t pause during the holidays. While summer in Australia brings joy and connection for many, for young people without stable housing it can mean extreme heat, exhaustion and increased risk. 

At Youth Projects, we know homelessness is about more than not having a place to sleep. It’s deeply connected to trauma, mental health challenges, disrupted education/employment and lost opportunities. 

That’s why our response is holistic. And why your support is so critical. 

Your donation helps us continue offering holistic person-centred care, ensuring young people like Summer have someone beside them when everything feels uncertain. 

You can help turn fear into safety. 
Isolation into connection. 
Survival into hope. 

Because Hope Starts Here, with you.