Aaliyah’s stars are aligning for success

Aaliyah is pulling out the stops to create a wonderful life for her family. As well as caring for her two beautiful young children and supporting her teenage brother, she is working full-time and studying full-time!

“It’s pretty intense, but I want to be a good role model for my children, to show them that they can do well in life,” she says.

It’s a huge undertaking for anyone, and for Aaliyah it was especially tricky given that until recently, she and her children, ages 5 and 3, were sharing their 2-bedroom unit with her younger brother, 19.

“It was a bit overwhelming as we didn’t have enough space,” she recalls. “We’d be sleeping in the lounge and the children had to sit on the floor at mealtimes.”

For Kāinga Ora to allocate the right-sized home to customers, everyone living there needs to be registered with MSD as someone who’s eligible for public housing.

Aaliyah helped her brother to navigate the process and when his application was approved, staff at the Kāinga Ora office in Ōtara, South Auckland, found the family a house with a garden. At last, plenty of room for everyone.

Things that lots of families take for granted are now a daily reminder for Aaliyah of the joy of everyone having their own space.

“It’s really good,” she says. “I used to wonder if I’d ever get my daughter out of my bed but now that she’s got her own bedroom, she’s excited about bedtime! And when my little boy gets grumpy with me, he says, ‘I’m going to my room!’ and closes the door behind him.”

Aaliyah is also delighted to have more room to study as she is part way through a degree in bicultural social work.

“I was feeling quite stressed and overwhelmed at my last home but since moving, a lot of my stress and anxiety has dropped away.”

As well as studying, Aaliyah is a mental health support worker for Kāhui Tū Kaha, a community organisation providing support with health, housing and social services.

“I used to work in a factory, but I wanted more out of life. In my family, we have a history of leaving school young and working in factories, but I wanted to show my children that they could do things differently.”

And now that her family is settled into their cosy new home, Aaliyah can focus better on her goals.