We talk to one of our clients, Nasrah about what Lift means to her.
Before Nasrah arrived at Lift, she was moving around London a lot and this often put her in vulnerable situations.
“I never felt that I fitted into local council criteria in order to get a place of my own. I was working and living in a house share. I felt vulnerable and didn’t feel safe as I was sharing with people who would party all night, use drugs and invite strangers in to the building.”
When Nasrah’s job unexpectedly came to an end she found herself homeless and had no idea about who to turn to get assistance. Luckily she came across Lift who helped her get things in order:
“I had no idea of benefits systems. I didn’t even know that I could claim benefits until I met with Lift who told me I could and supported me to claim benefits. They gave me an address and provided me with a lot of support. Nowhere else seemed to be able to provide that service.”
Lift was what Nasrah would describe as a “home from home.” It felt safe, and she felt respected. She applied for a voluntary position at Lift which helped her confidence and gave her the self belief to start applying for jobs.
Eventually, Nasrah was offered a job as a family intervention officer and continued to take advantage of Lift’s aftercare service; speaking to her adviser about any work related concerns and worries.
In September 2011, Nasrah followed her dream of becoming a youth worker by using her voluntary and paid experience to successfully get a place on the BA Youth and Community Studies course at the University of Wales.
Nasrah believes that her experiences at Lift helped her greatly in getting her to where she wanted to be.
“Lift provided me with a support network and sign posted me to relevant organisations to help me. It was a fantastic experience, and if I had to do it again, I would be back in a heartbeat.”
To find out more about Lift’s employment and skills programme, please call us on 0208 965 2561, or email [email protected]