Mafi’s story
“I came to Your Place in winter of 2023, so I’ve been here around a year. I settled in the UK after leaving Sudan, where I was living for years after I left my home country of Eritrea. I was working with my family, and living with them, and I had a job in childcare. I really enjoyed that, and was happy working and living close to my family. When it became too dangerous to stay in Sudan, I had to leave and I was so relieved to finally find safety in London.
“I was living in Home Office accommodation before I was granted my status, and when I was staying there, I fell in love with the city. I was inspired to start my new life, so I started working as soon as I could.
“Even though I was rebuilding my new life, when I was evicted from the Home Office accommodation, I had nowhere to go. When I arrived in London, I had joined a church as my faith is important to me, and through that community I was able to get a roof over my head. It wasn’t ideal, I was sleeping on a sofa for a couple of months, but being held by the church community in my time of need meant a lot, as I would have otherwise had to sleep on the streets, which is so dangerous for a woman.
“I went to get a homelessness referral and was told about Your Place. After spending so much time unsure about where I’ll go next, it felt like this was my first real step towards getting settled in London.
"I appreciate being able to take time for myself and build a safe space away from the violence I’ve left behind."
“Your Place has been a good experience for me, I’ve got space to do what I need to do while I’m in college and working. I work in customer services for an Eritrean company in London, so I have that connection to back home. I’m good at my job, and I know I can keep achieving great things.
“With college and work, I feel like I’m able to start building a life for myself here. I enjoy meeting people in different places, and the community I’ve become part of at church is really important to me too. We meet during the week as well as Sundays, so I’m making friends with shared interests and values. I was motivated to start working as soon as possible, and although I found my job for myself, my key worker Bella has been so lovely to me. She calls and checks on me regularly, and sends me things she thinks I’ll be interested in, such as courses and activities.
“Even though I’m a motivated person, having someone who looks out for me is so helpful in moving forward with my life.
“Once I finish my English course at college, I’d like to study business with the hope of starting my own business with the skills I’ve got from my job. Aside from all this, I love hiking and try to get out of London every weekend and see some new sights. Making time for the things I love is really important, and with a roof over my head, I appreciate being able to take time for myself and build a safe space away from the violence I’ve left behind. “
