After his marriage broke down, Gulam faced a difficult life on the streets. Since he came to Single Homeless Project accommodation, his life is looking up and he's doing all he can to secure an independent future.

Gulam, 43, is ready to learn. He’s set his sights on maths, computing and language skills, but if there were more hours in the day, he would do more.

“Every little bit gets me closer to the workplace.” 

He wants to take every opportunity now that it’s available to him. This wasn’t the case when he was forced onto the streets after his marriage broke down. 

“When I first came to the UK, I was a trained accountant and had a good job. But then my marriage ended, and I lost everything. With nowhere to call home, I had to sleep rough. It was a painful time. 

“When you don’t have shelter, you never feel comfortable. I had no way to do basic things like shower or wash my clothes. I never felt clean. It was the hardest when it rained. That feeling of water soaking through your clothes to your skin and the bitter cold that comes with it is hard to forget. I dreaded the rain so much that sometimes I would hide in dumpsters to avoid it. I had no dignity and used alcohol to cope.” 

After years on the streets without help, Gulam was supported by an outreach team and came to Single Homeless accommodation in North London. With encouragement from our staff, he was given training on how to use computers and is attending maths and English classes.  

“Using a computer has opened up a whole new world for me and I am using it to learn as much as I can. The staff at my accommodation have been wonderful and supportive. I feel so happy and secure here. 

“I hope that I will be able to get back into work, but I need to have the correct immigration status which I am working on now. If I can get that then I’ll be completely independent. 

“Single Homeless Project didn’t just give me shelter; they gave me the tools to get back on my feet. I’m really looking forward to what I can achieve.”