Faduma (not her real name) has been living in crisis accommodation since January after her family, disapproving of the man she loved and whose child she carried, told her she had to fend for herself.

The father of Faduma's child is in Kenya waiting for a residency visa.

A report released last week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare said 1843 people were living in crisis housing in the west when the 2006 Census was taken.

Faduma does not fit any stereotype of a homeless person: she is articulate, educated and prepared to work.

In fact, she worked in hospitality and aged care until a month before her daughter's birth.

But with no job and as a single, pregnant, African woman on Centrelink payments, she got nowhere in the private rental market and turned to boarding houses.

"I phoned a few places but there was nothing," she said.

"I called heaps of refuges. I never thought I would be in this position."

She eventually found a bed at a crisis centre in St Kilda.

"When the Mail met Faduma, she was about three months into her stay at a youth accommodation centre in Braybrook run by the Melbourne Citymission."

Faduma said the toughest part of her ordeal was coming out of hospital with a newborn baby and no home to go to.

Homelessness accommodation manager Nada Vindis said the centre had units for people aged 16-25 and offered 24-hour access to support workers.

A six-week stay is usually the maximum but Faduma's case was more urgent," Ms Vindis said.

"She could have been having her baby in a car or in a rooming house. Unless they've got somewhere to go, we won't move them."

Faduma will soon move into "transitional" housing, where she can stay for up to 18 months while she is helped to find permanent accommodation. It is the first step towards complete independence and she will be able to have visitors for the first time since her baby was born.