A young mother from Sydney, Australia, whose pregnancy coincided with a sudden period of homelessness, has received a life-changing gift directly from Pope Leo XIV during the ninth World Day of the Poor.
According to Catholic News Agency, Nadia Howlader was 35 weeks pregnant when she became homeless and began living on the streets of Sydney. Her situation changed on Nov. 16 when Pope Leo handed her one of 13 symbolic keys blessed during the Vatican’s observance of the World Day of the Poor. The key represented the new apartment arranged for her through the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Australia.
CNA reports that Howlader traveled to Rome with her daughter, Alisha, and members of the society for an audience with the pope, where she received the blessed key and personally thanked him for the gift.
The initiative continues a tradition begun by Pope Francis as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. According to Catholic News Agency, Pope Francis launched the project last year to support vulnerable families experiencing homelessness. This year, keys symbolizing homes in 13 countries were blessed: Syria, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
The effort is rooted in the Vincentian “13 Houses” legacy, inspired by St. Vincent de Paul’s 1643 decision to use an endowment from King Louis XIII to build homes for abandoned children near the Vincentian headquarters in Paris.
Catholic News Agency also highlighted comments from Graham West of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. In an interview with Sydney’s 10 News, West said, “The St. Vincent de Paul Society is probably the largest homeless prevention organization in Australia.” He explained that, through coordinated work between case managers and housing teams, “we’ve now been able to find a house for Nadia to live in.”
Since its modern revival in 2018, the “13 Houses” campaign has helped more than 10,000 people in 70 countries, CNA reported.
For Howlader, the gift of a home marks both security and hope as she prepares to welcome her child.
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