Meet Fiona – “Like a substitute form of my family”
Fiona has been coming to Soul Hub with her little boy for about a year now. When she first arrived, Fiona was facing a difficult time. She was going through relationship challenges connected to a loved one’s mental health and, being originally from overseas, found herself far from family and support.
“It was very stressful for me because I don’t have any family here,” Fiona shared. “For a while we were in a temporary home, and it was very hard for me with my baby.”
Soul quickly became more than just a place to get a meal.
“It’s not just a meal for me,” Fiona explained. “They have doctors, social workers, and other services like VOCAL, Jenny’s Place, and Service NSW.”
Access to those services made a big difference. “It’s hard to get to appointments with a baby when you don’t have a car,” she said. “I need to walk everywhere, so it’s convenient—so many services in one place.”
When we asked Fiona what Soul means to her, she said:
“A bit like a substitute form of my family. I really like that slogan—that you don’t judge people. At first, I felt embarrassed coming here because I thought, ‘I’m not homeless.’ But in my situation, it’s also kind of like being homeless—because I don’t have family here. Fortunately, my situation is improving. It’s not getting worse, and thanks to Soul for the support—because I’ve been single parenting for my son for one year now. So, during that time, Soul became my family.”