‘I never knew how much a simple spelling mistake would cost me.’

Carol arrived in the UK in 2005 and was granted ‘leave to remain’ in the UK in 2009.  In 2010, Carol spotted an error in her official documents.

‘At the time, I was fairly happy with my life.  I had a beautiful baby girl; we were living in temporary accommodation, which was not the best, I was about to finish an NVQ in Health and Social Care and was looking for part-time work.  But the error in my papers had a serious knock on effect: I had to send them to back to be changed and didn’t see them again for over a year.

Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t work: I was turned away for interviews because I couldn’t produce any ID.  I couldn’t even volunteer in a care home because I couldn’t prove who I was.  With no part-time work, I couldn’t afford to pay for childcare while I was at college.  I really felt like everything I had built up over the years was about to come crashing down around me.
 

I found out about HELP through the Housing Options Service at Westminster City Council and can’t thank them enough for what they have done.  Despite everything, the HELP team encouraged me to keep trying: they really went out of their way to help.

They found funding for childcare so that I could carry on with my studies, helped me with my CV and interview skills so that when my papers would come through, I was better prepared.
For 13 months HELP supported me while I waited for my papers to come through.  Finally, in May this year, I received my corrected papers.’

The next day, HELP secured an interview for Carol: she was accepted on the spot.  HELP provided Carol with support with her citizenship test, which she passed in June 2011.  Carol is now working in the care sector as she intended, and is also planning to continue studying for the next level in Health and Social Care.

‘It was really stressful being left in limbo for so long: I wanted to get on with my life, but at times, I felt like giving up.  Without the support of the HELP team, I don’t know what I would have done.’

‘I’m looking forward to being able to save some money so that I can take my daughter on holiday.’
Sarah (HELP Adviser):

‘Seeing Carol presented with her citizenship certificate last week filled me with pride.  I have known Carol for over a year: it seemed that every time she took steps to improve her life, she got knocked back.  I now believe that she is on the right journey: our next step is to help her with her housing.  Living in Westminster in a starter-job in the health and social care sector means that she continues to need help to keep on her feet and not worry about high rents.’