Maryam’s story.
Maryam came to the UK in 2019 and was moved from city to city before being given leave to remain and found a temporary shared house in Tameside. However, this was short-lived and, just as the country was put in lockdown, found herself set to be homeless at the age of 59, with no family or friends in the country to support her.
She turned to Tameside Council’s community safety and homelessness team who worked with Jigsaw Support to get her placed on the housing register.
“Not knowing whether I was going to find somewhere to live was so upsetting and very distressing. Living in shared temporary places was starting to affect my mental health and I couldn’t sleep. I felt I had no freedom. When I was told there was a house for me with New Charter in Ashton I was pleased just to know I would be safe and secure.”
Maryam, a teacher for more than 20 years, is doing volunteer work while she looks for permanent employment.
“This has made a huge difference to my life. I don’t know what I would have done without the housing team helping me. I now have a place of my own with kind neighbours who look out for me. This came at just the right time and I am really happy.”
