We caught up with Mustafa, a resident of our Supported Housing project, to find out more about his experience with the Renewal Programme.
My name is Mustafa, I came to the Renewal Programme in 2018 and have lived in Newham all my life. I even used to work on the A13.
Mustafa
I became homeless, living on the street, with a substance addiction. It wasn’t a great time for me at all, but StreetLink picked me up one night. I was taken to Camden initially but was soon relocated to my area: Newham.
I became a resident of the Renewal Programme’s Supported Housing project in 2018; the environment was calm and the staff & other residents were friendly and supportive. I finally felt like I had a space to be myself after years of struggling.
The staff have continuously been a support network to me. I can talk to them about anything without feeling judged or alone.
When I first joined, I volunteered in the garden. We completely transformed the space, removing old trees and plants, cleaning it up and making it into a space residents can enjoy when the sun is out. I’d be really interested in volunteering for the Renewal Programme again as it means I’ll be able to engage with other people. I’d also really like to explore some of the partnerships on offer, like counselling or CV writing support.
The Renewal Programme means a lot to me. It’s my whole life. The staff and residents are the closest thing I have to family and I’m really happy here.
Mustafa is one of the fifty residents we support through our Supported Housing project, which runs in two buildings located in the borough. The project is funded by the London Borough of Newham and has been running in various capacities since 1971.
