There's No Place like Home for Natalia Hogan
- Sophie Norris
- Oct 20
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 20
Natalia Hogan is a survivor. Growing up, there was something inside her that didn’t want to give up, even when she reached the lowest point of her homelessness.
Now in her final year as a physiotherapy student, Natalia is Running Home. Running 170km from Sydney to Newcastle to raise funds and awareness for homelessness and give back to those who gave to her.
NATALIA'S STORY
At 11 years old, most children are learning about the solar system or itching to get outside and play with their friends at lunchtime.
But at 11 years old, Natalia Hogan sat in survival mode, plotting her next move.
“I didn’t have much family, but the family that I did have had a lot of issues with drugs and alcohol, and there was a bit of abuse and violence,” shared Natalia.
“I just remember sitting in my room and being so sad because I felt like I had no control over where my life was headed.
I just remember thinking I don’t want to repeat this cycle. I want to live a better life. It’s so hard at that age because what could I have done?”
At 14 years old, Natalia started couch surfing, a term that would officially classify her as homeless. She stayed with many friends while still showing up every day to school, with barely anyone aware of her situation.
One year later, Natalia was referred to a youth refuge in Newcastle.
“I was too old for foster care, but too young to obtain my own rental, and it left me in this really difficult position, thinking, what is the most suitable living circumstance for a 15-year-old?”
In simple terms, a youth refuge is a short-term, emergency shelter for young people who are homeless. It is designed to keep young people safe, but it also comes with its limitations.
For Natalia, her time in that refuge was one of the lowest points of her life.
“I remember just feeling like there was no place for me in the world, feeling really unwanted and lonely. I was in there for a month, but it felt like a lifetime. It’s a great service, but it can be a dark place.”
But the trajectory of her whole life changed when she got connected to Samaritans.
FREEDOM
Based in Newcastle, Samaritans is a regional welfare agency designed to support people in the early years of life through foster care, family support and preservation.
Natalia received her own unit, with her own furniture and was able to finally live independently.
In reality, what this looked like for Natalia was simple: freedom.
“That was one of the most exciting times of my life because it was the first time that I had a stable place to live that was mine. I had my own safe space where I could control the environment.”
I felt like I finally had a clear path ahead of me, and my dreams had the potential to come true, and in a way my dreams had come true in that moment, just having that place.”
FITNESS
While the notion of home has always been something quite intangible for Natalia, there was one constant companion there through it all – exercise.
“Exercise was always an outlet, a way for me to feel good, and I guess escape from everything that was going on.”
As Natalia moved through different phases of her life and her living situation changed, so too did her relationship with exercise.
When she was young, it was an outlet, a way to escape and to feel control.
As she entered her twenties, she found CrossFit. That was the first moment she got a taste of what it was like to really push physical boundaries.
“I was still holding on to parts of these traumas, so I was using CrossFit as a way to punish my body and numb the feelings.”
But now she uses exercise as a powerful tool.
A tool for self-empowerment.
Long-distance running then became a whole new level of self-empowerment.
“Pushing myself that hard made me feel so empowered and really gave me a sense of control.”
FAMILY
But perhaps the best thing to come out of Natalia’s love for exercise was her newfound family.
“Yes, you exercise with them, but you also share so much more with them. That connection and that support network have made me feel like I have a place in the world, which was really absent when I was younger.”
When asked about these running communities, Natalia remembers a recent encounter she had on a run.
“I was speaking with a lady who I run with. She told me her child has a friend who got kicked out of home, and her initial thought was that it was probably the child’s fault. But because of my story, she took him in.”
It was this moment that brought Natalia Hogan to tears.
“There’s a massive stereotype that homeless people have done something. That their choices, their lifestyle, is the reason why they’re homeless.
A really important thing for me is trying to change those misconceptions; instead of looking at where they are now, look at the reasons why they are there.”
RUNNING HOME
And the way Natalia is going about changing these misconceptions? Well, extreme could be an understatement.
“I wanted to really push the boundaries,” she laughs.
Natalia is running a 170km in 24 hours from Sydney to Newcastle to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness. The target is $122,000, representing the 122,000 people experiencing homelessness on any night.
“There’s just something in my heart that wants to be able to help. I almost have this thing guiding me to want to do this.”
This isn’t just a physical challenge - Running Home is symbolic of the journey from uncertainty to hope and is connected to Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge. This is more than a run - it’s Natalia’s way of giving back to the community that gave her a home when she had nothing.
“I look at people experiencing homelessness and I see that little girl, myself, and think that’s probably where I would’ve ended up if I didn’t have that intervention when I was a child. If I hadn’t had the support that I received, then I can’t imagine where I would be.”
Natalia will begin her run at Sydney's Observatory Park on Saturday, the 25th October at 2:30 pm, before finishing at Empire Park, in her hometown of Newcastle, at 10 am on Sunday, the 26th October.
You can meet Natalia at the finish line, or if you’re feeling brave, run the last few kilometres with her from Merewether.
The best part? All donations made here will be provided to Samaritans as part of We Are Mobilise's Kickstarter Program. A truly full-circle moment for Natalia Hogan.
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