The Impact So Far

Mary is 38 years old; she and her family migrated to the UK when she was 7. She has depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, due to previously being in an abusive relationship.

Mary's mental health difficulties mean that she intermittently experiences mood swings and can become aggressive at times. Subsequently, Mary's family broke down, and she was told to leave home. Mary suddenly became street homeless for the first time. After a few days of sleeping on buses and outside a tube station, Mary was approached by an outreach team. They found her a hostel. However, the hostel was really unclean. Mary felt unsafe due to regularly being propositioned by the other men. Mary returned to rough sleeping as she felt unsafe in the hostel.

Mary was told about the Marylebone Project by an outreach worker, and she booked an appointment with our Advice worker. She was thrilled to find a woman-only service and immediately felt safe in this environment. Mary had previously stayed in a mixed Hostel and expressed feeling unsafe, particularly at night. Mary explained the abhorrent conditions that she was living in.

Mary was encouraged to get involved in the courses and activities at The Sanctuary. She initially shielded away from any educational activities as she had no qualifications or CV. However, after 2 months of attending The Sanctuary, Mary enrolled in a bespoke Business Skills course run by Westminster Business School. Our Advice worker signposted Mary into stable accommodation, and she is being supported to find paid employment. Mary was reluctant to speak about her mental health difficulties with staff and has rejected any support with this. However, she reports feeling happier and more resilient because she has taken the time to invest in herself through the meaningful activity Programme.

Mary says - "I don't know what I would have done without the Marylebone Project. I would have been homeless, living on the streets, if they didn't help me. The Sanctuary is nice and clean, so I love to come here to shower and do my laundry. Although I didn't expect to be allowed to better myself, I am now doing a Business Skills course, and I will run my own business one day."

Helen was referred to the Education, Training and Employment Programme (EET) by her keyworker. She was eager for a job but lacked confidence due to her physical health issues and extended unemployment.

The EET Worker met with Helen and supported her to update her CV. Even though she had not worked for some time, Helen had qualifications and experience in retail. Still, she did not enjoy working in this sector ad wanted to use her skills in a different setting.

During the one-to-one sessions, Helen was supported to identify her individual strengths and talents, which helped her recognize her abilities and opportunities. Helen was referred to our professional mentoring program. She was matched with a mentor to support her in building her confidence and career guidance. Helen attended weekly mentoring sessions on Zoom. She was endowed with career guidance, job searches and applications, cover letter writing, interview skills and online confidence-building workshops. She then started volunteering in a beauty and hairdressing salon, and she enjoyed it.

Helen has decided to follow this career path. She has been offered the opportunity to work as a paid Junior Trainee after her three months volunteering placement. Below is feedback from Helen about her work placement experience.

"It's nice being there; it's a nice atmosphere. I am enjoying its simplicity and how I am given more responsibility as I go along. It's manageable, and I feel safe there, which is what I always wanted, a place where I wasn't intimidated by the staff. I feel so blessed that this opportunity landed my way. It was causing me anxiety, not knowing which direction I was heading, but I tried to keep positive. Thank you so much for your help and support in this difficult time!"

Rose found herself street homeless after her housemate became physically abusive towards her. Rose was being attacked by another individual who she shared communal areas within her shared accommodation. Rose attended The Sanctuary with bruises on her arms and chests, she was completely traumatized by the abuse she had encountered and asked for help with finding housing and with reporting the incident to the police.

Our advice workers supported Rose to attend the hospital, look for alternative housing and advocated on her behalf to Social Services and the Police. Whilst we were supporting Rose, she benefited from using our showering and laundry facilities and she took part in our knitting and meditation classes.

Rose was ecstatic that the Sanctuary was a 24 hours service as she planned to stay at the haven of the Sanctuary whilst staff supported her to find housing. This prevented Rose from experiencing further abuse.

“You have no idea how much this means to me. I can stay here and feel safe, I do not have to live in fear anymore. You literally saved my life! This place is very nice, and I do not have to worry or hide away in my room. I am thankful to you and to God”