Harry is originally from Eritrea, he fled the country due to war in 2008 and came to the UK as a refugee.  Harry arrived in London with no place to stay, and spent 8 months sleeping rough in and around the Victoria area.
 
He attended the Passage Day Centre in Victoria for food, where he was also given support and referred to the Contemporary Urban Centre (CUC) Hostel where he could stay to get off the streets.
 
Harry had been living at CUC for one year when the HELP Adviser met him and he was already attending regular ESOL classes nearby at Westminster Kingsway College’s Soho Centre and participating in weekly IT sessions in CUC which were led by a tutor from Kensington & Chelsea College.
 
When the Adviser met Harry for the first time his English was very basic but he was clear pf what he wanted to do - a Car Crash Repair and Spraying course which he had previous experience of doing in Eritrea in his father’s family business before he had to flee.
 
After a lot of research the HELP Adviser found a suitable Level 1 course at the College of Northwest London (CONWL), Harry attended the college open day in August 2010 and enrolled onto the course and HELP supported him by paying the course fee.
 
With CUC’s Specialist Resettlement Co-ordinator’s support Harry moved out of the hostel.  This was just as he was starting the course at CONWL in September 2011.  He moved into temporary accommodation in Islington with One Housing into a studio flat. 
 
When Harry started college he was unable to afford to pay for travel costs to and from the college so he applied to the College’s hardship fund with the Adviser’s help, while he waited the 3 months for this to come through, HELP covered his travel expenses.
 
As part of Harry’s course he is still improving his English along with literacy and numeracy, this additional support is helping him with his course work and assignments.
 
Harry wanted to gain work experience of working in a car garage in the UK, so the HELP Adviser helped Harry prepare a CV and called his local garages and managed to set up an 8-week voluntary work placement with a garage in Muswell Hill which ran from January – March 2011. 
 
Harry is enjoying his course and is hoping to do the Level 2 starting in September 2011 with HELP and the college’s ongoing support.
 

‘When I was in the hostel I didn’t know anything, when I met Emma I talked to her about my problems, she was very helpful and sent me to the college.  Sarah helped me find a volunteering placement - Emma and Sarah really, really thank you – for the big change in my life!’