In their words

The following story belongs to a young mum who fled a violent husband only to find he had never applied for her to have British Citizenship as he was supposed to have done:

After leaving the Women’s Refuge in Cardiff, I had no money and no where to live. I did not know where to go. I drifted between various members of the community for shelter and food. I was very depressed. The home office ordered me to leave the country even though my daughter was born in the UK. I used to cry all the time and I was unable to sleep. Neville Street staff helped me to cope with the mountain of problems that I had, giving me daily support and negotiating with many professionals to improve my situation.

I was taken to Social Services and the Welsh Refugee Council for financial help, but I did not get any support from them the first time. I was desperate, so staff at Neville Street gave me money to buy food and a bus pass.  The Neville Street worker made lots of phone calls on my behalf and finally the Welsh Refugee Council agreed to provide accommodation and financial help. The worker helped me communicate with the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Benefits Agency and Neville Street provided an Interpreter to help me in meeting with other agencies.

Due to the overwhelming problems I could not think straight and I felt suicidal many times. The worker assisted me to go to my GP and advised me about the importance of looking after myself so that I could properly care for my child.

Thanks to the work of Neville Street, I was offered temporary accommodation and was able to claim Child Benefit and Income Support. I also attended two courses at the project on ‘Safety for Women’ and ‘Coping with Young Children’, which helped in improving my confidence as a single mother. My daughter settled down and is much happier. She enjoyed the play sessions and Neville Street and has learnt to socialize

This mum and daughter are now settled and building a stable life for themselves.

Stephen, a 5 year old African Boy, was brought to the UK by his brother to seek asylum after other family members had been killed during the civil war in his own country.  Having witnessed many atrocities at a young age, Stephen was exhibiting extreme emotional and behavioural difficulties.  He was unable to settle in his primary school and was subsequently excluded due to his violent behaviour.

The family were referred to Neville Street by their Health Visitor and an intense programme of therapeutic play sessions was set up for Stephen.  Following consultation with his head teacher, Stephen was allowed to return to school for one morning a week, with the support of a project worker.

Gradually Stephens’s behaviour began to improve and his hours in school were progressively increased.  He now attends school full time, is well integrated with his peer group and is described as a ‘model pupil’.