Lucia grew up in Broken Hill and had a difficult up bringing. For much of her early life she carried those painful experiences quietly while trying to build a future for herself and her children.
“I spent a long time feeling angry about everything that had happened to me,” Lucia says. “It was hard to see what there was to look forward to.”
Even through those years, Lucia kept moving forward. While raising her first child, Lucia was able to complete Year 12. This was followed by her trying many different pathways into work and study. She trained as an enrolled nurse for a time and later studied IT. But life’s challenges often interrupted those plans.
There were moments of deep grief, including the loss of a close friend, and periods when the weight of her past felt almost too heavy to bear.
Eventually Lucia made the decision to move to Adelaide. The move was about safety and about creating a different future for herself and her children.
Starting again wasn’t easy. Not long after arriving, Lucia and her children experienced a house fire that destroyed everything they owned and left them homeless for several months. During that time, they stayed in temporary accommodation through homelessness services in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
Looking back, Lucia sees that period as another turning point.
“It was difficult, but it also led to getting the support I needed,” she says.
One of those supports was through Uniting Communities. At the time, she was living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and social phobia. Everyday activities often felt overwhelming.
“There were times I was afraid to leave the house,” she says. “If I went outside, I had to wear headphones and listen to music just to cope.”
Through her support team at Uniting Communities, Lucia began receiving regular support several days each week. This helped her attend appointments, navigate public spaces and slowly rebuild her confidence in everyday situations.
“They helped me recognise when I wasn’t coping well,
And they helped me work through those moments.”
The changes were not immediate, but over time Lucia began to feel stronger and more confident. One of the biggest shifts came when she started attending community art sessions. Art had not always been part of Lucia’s life. In fact, when she was younger she had never felt drawn to it at all. But she soon discovered something unexpected.
“It just clicked,” she says. “I realised I could actually do this.”
Painting quickly became a way for Lucia to express thoughts and feelings that were difficult for her to put into words. It also gave her a sense of calm and focus.
“When I’m painting, time just disappears,
I might be working for hours and not even notice.”
Her work now includes watercolour, acrylic and charcoal pieces, often inspired by small details in the world around her. One painting, inspired by a plant growing out of a crack in a wall, holds particular meaning.
“I saw it while I was out walking and thought that’s resilience,” she says. “Things can grow anywhere, even out of a hole in the wall. That’s how I see myself.”
Today Lucia attends regular sessions and continues developing her artistic skills. Some of her paintings are displayed in community spaces, including within the U City building.
Art remains an important part of her wellbeing, but Lucia says the biggest change in her life has been the confidence and stability she has been able to rebuild. Part of this change has meant Lucia now finds herself supporting others.
At one art class, she encouraged a friend who had been struggling to even leave the house. Over time that friend began gaining confidence as well.
“I tell her I was where she is,” Lucia says. “And now she’s also doing things she never thought she could do.”
For Lucia, the connection and her ability to encourage others matters deeply. She believes small acts of kindness can have a truly powerful impact. Something as simple as a friendly conversation or a compliment can change someone’s day.
“You never know what someone else is going through,” she says. “Sometimes just being kind can mean everything.”
After everything she has experienced, Lucia believes resilience often begins with the smallest steps.
“Sometimes the only thing you can do is get up in the morning,” she says. “But that’s still a step forward.”
Lucia is especially proud of the life her children are building. Her eldest son is now working and exploring new opportunities, and for Lucia, seeing her children grow with confidence is one of her greatest rewards.
“I wanted them to have opportunities and safety,” she says. “Things I didn’t always have growing up.”
Looking ahead, Lucia hopes to continue developing her art, but more than anything, she wants her story and her art to help others who may be struggling.
“If someone can see that life can get better, that would mean a lot,” she says.
Today, with the support of Uniting Communities and a growing sense of confidence in herself, Lucia is continuing to build the life she had once hoped for.
“I’m not just the things that happened to me,
I’m finding who I am now. And I’m looking forward to the future.”
