Noah’s Story
The Boaz Trust has been supporting people experiencing homelessness after claiming asylum since 2004. They provide stable accommodation and person-centred support to people with refugee status, and people who have been refused asylum.
Located across Greater Manchester, Boaz houses have been places of rest and recovery for people who’ve not only fled persecution or conflict in their home countries, but have also experienced destitution and the hostile environment here in the UK.
This was Noah’s* experience before he came to Boaz.
“I left my country because I am persecuted by the government and by my society.”
“My asylum claim was refused and I became destitute and homeless. I was very depressed and I was very hopeless. I moved from friend’s sofa to friend’s floor to the streets.”
At this time, Noah relied on charity drop-in sessions and the food they provided to survive. When he first interacted with staff from Boaz, he described how “they treated me with dignity and with respect.” Noah was accepted into the Boaz Night Shelter that was running at the time. He would later go on to volunteer with the Night Shelter, helping others in need of somewhere safe to sleep.
After staying in the Night Shelter for three months, Noah then moved into a Boaz shared house for people seeking asylum. Having experienced sofa surfing and street homelessness, the stability and independence that having a home brought was pivotal for Noah - he described it as “a turning point in my life.”
During this time living in Boaz accommodation, Boaz staff supported Noah to access immigration advice and to submit a fresh claim to the Home Office. With access to legal advice, and support in understanding the complexities of the UK asylum system, Noah’s fresh claim was successful, and he was granted leave to remain.
“When I compare my life in the past with my life now, sometimes for me, it's something unbelievable. I can't believe it. I can't believe this big shift. This is a big change in my life. Now I'm very happy, very optimistic. I have got a job; I am the Assistant Manager at my work. And now my life is going in the right direction.”
“Here in Manchester, I have found wonderful people, very kind people, helpful people and they welcome me warmly.”
Despite the warmth of the welcome from many communities across the country, as the government’s Illegal Migration Act is rolled out, life in the UK is becoming ever more hostile for people like Noah who have sought safety here.
By Christmas, it’s estimated that we could see thousands of refugees evicted into homelessness because of a change in Home Office policy, giving people just 7 days to move on from asylum accommodation.
Boaz and other charities like them are already seeing demand for their services skyrocket. To hear more of Noah’s story and find out what you can do to help, visit boaztrust.org.uk/noah