Heena arrived in the UK in 2002 from Myanmar and sort asylum. By 2021, almost 20 years later she came to Refugee Support Group for help.
Heena was not in good spirits and her situation was precarious; for most of her 20 years she had lived undocumented, relying on her relative for accommodation. She had no access to finances, English language lessons, and she was going to be made homeless imminently.
Our caseworkers set to work, supporting Heena with legal advice, and finding her accommodation. Heena was struggling, she was traumatised and had trouble sleeping and opening up. She was offered talk therapy, but Heena found talking through her past too difficult.
Our team reached out to partner organisations who organised a voluntary position for Heena where she learned to garden and paint. Feeling more confident she also volunteered at a local café. The casework team applied for food parcels, and English language lessons and in 2022 Heena was granted indefinite leave to remain.
Heena has come a long way, her mental health is much improved, she has a full and busy life with her voluntary positions, hobbies and now employment at John Lewis. The first thing Heena did once her application was granted was visit her mum, the pair were reunited after 20 years apart.
We desperately need to provide more casework hours so we can continue to help people like Heena, please donate to us today.
*Names and identifying information changed
