Building skills for the future through volunteering
Amir came to Leicester after having to leave his home country as it was no longer safe for him to stay there, and he had to leave his family behind. When Amir arrived in Leicester he did not know anyone, and was briefly allowed to sofa surf with member of his community. However, this was not a permanent or safe housing situation, and Amir sought support from Action Homeless.
Amir was assigned a Key Worker who provided dedicated support and help with both housing and his mental health. Amir had suffered trauma not only from his journey to Leicester but also from what happened to him in his home country.
After some time in our services and once he was more settled, Amir was offered a tenancy in one of our A+ properties. These properties give our clients more independence, but also support from a Key Worker when needed.
Amir completed an ESOL course, greatly improving his English skills. He also started an electrician course, and looked in what further training and volunteering was available to him. He started a voluntary position with a local charity shop, testing and refurbishing all equipment that came in as donations. Amir is now looking ahead to finding paid work using the skills he has gained through volunteering.