Ioulia's story: Moving boxes and moving lives

Moving to a new home is a big step, but for Ioulia, it’s been a journey filled with care and support.

We recently helped Ioulia move from an older high-rise building at 259 Malvern Road to a new home nearby.

With hands-on help and a focus on staying connected to community, Ioulia’s story shows that relocating isn’t just about moving boxes, it’s about moving lives.

This is all part of our work to redevelop older high-rise social housing so we can deliver more and better homes where they’re needed.

Supporting Ioulia every step of the way

Our dedicated relocations team took the time to get to know Ioulia. They listened closely to her needs and concerns so they could provide the right kind of support.

“The relocations team were very sensitive to my situation. They made time to see me, they listened to me, they understood my situation.”

Keeping loved ones involved

But the support didn’t stop there. We encourage residents like Ioulia to invite family, friends or advocates to be involved.

We made sure Ioulia’s dear friend Anna could be by her side at every stage. They made sure she was included at meetings, could read the same information and had the time to offer advice and comfort in their shared language.

“She did so much for me. She tried to settle and smooth every situation, I felt a lot of support from her” says Ioulia. 

Hands-on help that makes a difference

We know moving home is a big job, so we do everything we can to make it easier.

We provide packing materials and book removalists, cover moving costs and even help with packing and unpacking where it’s needed.

We also fund support services like Better Health Network to make sure residents get all the help they need.

Mathew Salen from Better Health Network played a key role in Ioulia’s move.

“Mat reassured me that when I needed to move out, he’d help me organise all the bits and pieces – and that’s actually what he did” Ioulia recalled.

Staying connected to what matters

One of Ioulia’s biggest wishes was to remain close to her community. Thanks to the relocations team, she was able to move into a unit just around the corner.

Her new building has lots of familiar faces, including Anna.

“I was relieved when I found out I could move into the home I wanted – not only because it’s a nice unit but because I could move where I belonged to the same community, the same people I’ve known for many, many years, lovely neighbours who are ready to support me.”  

More information

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