Homeless mother given ‘key’ to new apartment by Pope Leo XIV At 35 weeks pregnant Nadia Howlader became homeless, living on the streets of Sydney, Australia, but all of that changed when she was given a key to a new apartment by Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 16 on the ninth World Day of the Poor. Continuing a tradition begun by Pope Francis last year to combat homelessness and bring hope to vulnerable families during the 2025 Jubilee year of Hope in 13 countries, Pope Leo blessed 13 keys \u2014 one of which symbolized the key to Howlader\u2019s new apartment in a Sydney suburb, faciliated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Australia. Howlader, and her daughter Alisha, traveled to Rome with members of the society for an audience with the pope where she received the blessed key from Pope Leo and thanked him for the generous gift. The \u201c13 Houses\u201d campaign was inspired by the St. Vincent de Paul Society\u2019s patron, St. Vincent de Paul, and his decision in 1643 to use an endowment from French King Louis XIII to build 13 small houses near the Vincentian headquarters in Paris to care for abandoned children. The 13 countries included in the project this year are Syria, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. \u201cThe St. Vincent de Paul Society is probably the largest homeless prevention organization in Australia,\u201d said Graham West of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in an interview with Sydney\u2019s 10 News. Through the work of the case workers and working with our housing team we\u2019ve now been able to find a house for Nadia to live in.\u201d Since 2018, the \u201c13 Houses\u201d campaign has helped over 10,000 people in 70 countries. This article was originally published by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Francesca Pollio Fenton Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article The Verdun Altar in an Ancient Monastery: An 800-Year-Old Masterpiece of Evangelization Pope Francis tells young people \u2018learn how to listen\u2019 in video published after death Pope Francis ratifies Synod on Synodality\u2019s final document, marking new approach to Church reform A Polish Priest Murdered by Communists Out of Hatred for the Faith will be Beatified Vatican cancels Pope Francis\u2019 trip to climate conference in Dubai, citing ongoing illness We asked the new cardinals: How should the Church evangelize the world today?<\/p>\n