Women seeking asylum
Since 2016 St Monica's has offered accommodation to several dozen destitute women seeking asylum in the UK whose application(s) to remain had been refused.
These women have come from different countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, including Bangladesh, Cameroun, Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Their ages have spanned a wide range from 22 - 74 years. Amongst the youngest has been 22-year old Amina (not her real name) from Bangladesh, to whose difficulties were added serious ill-health but whose cheerful spirit enlivened the atmosphere of the house in which she lived.
At the other end of the age scale there have been several much older women such as Marie (not her real name) who arrived from Southern Africa at the age of 65.
8 years later, Marie still struggles with English food, language, bus timetables and medical appointments. However, the younger women in the same house keep an eye on her, calling her Mama which she really appreciates. All the residents have moving stories to tell, illustrations of pain and courage.
PAFRAS
"Once every week myself and Sanjeev as part of the Mental Health Team at PAFRAS conduct a support group for the residents at both St Monica's house in Beeston and Harehills ( currently via Zoom but ordinarily a physical meeting a the house).
It is understood that the residents have arrived at the house very often after long and protracted difficulties within the Asylum Process and this is not withstanding their experiences leading up to their being in the UK. St Monica's offers them a welcome and much needed period of respite. It is felt that at this time that they also need support to manage relationships within the house, preparation for their next steps. and practical day to day stuff like GP appointments, college enrolment, food and clothing etc.
It’s important that as many of the residents attend each time as is possible and that ,with help if needed from Interpreters, ( currently an SMHL Trustee) can participate as fully as is possible. One aim is to help them establish good relationships with each other, so that their time in the house can be as positive positive an experience as is possible. We want the group to be a safe and welcoming space where any difficulties can be raised without fear or favour. Prior to Covid19 we met, prepared ,cooked and ate a meal together whilst talking, a lovely opportunity to get to know each other better, we are ever hopeful, that in the not too distant future we can leave Zoom behind and meet properly again."
Ivy’s Story
I first joined St Monica in February 2017 after a few months of grace hosting, moving from one home to another and it wasn’t guaranteed that you had a bed for the night. The longest I had been in the same place was for two weeks when a couple in Gledhow realised how ill I was the first night I stayed and let me stay longer to recover a kindness I will never forget. Grace hosting was the only solution available yet not very ideal for me as had numerous health issues and given its temporary nature increased my anxiety and inability to focus as I worried about who I am meeting, where I will be sleeping that night. That was worsened by the fact that I already had mental health issues but had nowhere to reside long enough to seek the help I required.
When I was given the opportunity to stay at St Monica, it was unbelievable. As someone who had been homeless for so long, it was amazing not to live out of a bag. To know you are coming back to that same bed for a few months seems small to some but the dignity and self-esteem that is restored cannot be fathomed. The signing of an agreement, handing over keys, being listened to in meetings, the relationship with those who ran St Monica, made me feel heard, seen, the person I was once before asylum, the homelessness and showed me that I was still there and my circumstances shouldn’t define me. The choice of cooking your own traditional food, a piece of your identity which is erased by homelessness as then you eat what you are given seems small in a grand scale of things but major as food is a reminder of who you are and a link to social skills like welcoming people, friendship, working together, St Monica offered this.
At St Monica, we were made aware of many projects that help asylum seekers and refugees like conversation club, harmony choir, meeting point, which some also offered volunteering opportunities hence we got into a routine of having somewhere to be not just sit home and it helped with integration into the community.
Pafras run a mental health project which visited St Monica and enabled us to talk about how we felt, encouraged us to take those difficult steps or seemed difficult and fostered better relationships among residents as it's not easy to mix different people with different sexual orientations from same/different backgrounds. We cooked together, sharing food from different countries each time, problems were resolved amicably and we were equipped with mindfulness skills that I still use years later. The fact that support came to us as a group meant that people didn't have to feel stigmatised for getting the support as we all got it.
I left St Monica when Home Office finally accepted to give me accommodation. I got my papers in 2018 but that wouldn't have happened had St Monica not given me the respite from the ‘homelessness grind’ of 6 months then another. It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on improving my mental health, general health, as I focused on making a fresh claim with the help of Manuel Bravo project as legal aid, wasn't available to me.
My only wish is there are many more St Monicas and that the period of stay is increased until home office accommodation is granted as the horrors facing homeless women are still the same after the 6 months stay period.
The generousness of the people of Leeds who open their homes to strangers cannot be forgotten through Grace hosting and the various charities that provided a warm place to stay during the day, eat, an opportunity to socialise with others and forget our worries that we got to know about through St Monica and Pafras. It is such experiences that make me proud to call Leeds my home. At the moment I am pursuing a Social Work degree at university, hoping to be in a position to make a difference for others and always endeavouring to pass the kindness on.