“Luckily I love a challenge!”
Emma Mitchell, who is a Housing Support Practitioner for our newly launched A Home of Her Own project, has written a blog about joining the charity and the challenges she’s faced during lockdown!
I have been in post as a Housing Support Practitioner with the A Home of Her Own project since the beginning of March. It was about two weeks into my role and then lockdown was imposed; to say I hit the ground running is a bit of an understatement! Being in a new role with a new team and working from home with no face to face contact has been challenging… luckily I love a challenge!
My role is to support women with their housing needs, whether they are in crisis, need help to prevent themselves from becoming homeless or require assistance in sustaining their tenancy. This looks different for every woman as each is an individual with their own story.
The best part of my job is without a doubt the fantastic women I support: they amaze me with their strength and perseverance every day. I am honoured to be a part of their incredible stories and inspiring journeys. I am so excited to see what the future holds for each and every one of them as I am a passionate believer that every women already has everything she needs in order to reach her full potential, she just needs her sisters to come alongside her and cheer her on. Having lived through some tough life experiences of my own, I appreciate that the best gift you can give to a woman who is struggling is a listening, non-judgemental ear to whisper, “Me too,” before rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in!
Women in our City face many barriers and have lots of obstacles to overcome when it comes to finding their own haven – a place they can call home. I am looking forward to seeing many of them achieve their goals and see their hopes and dreams come into fruition.
The team at Kairos have been fantastic: they have supported and welcomed me in very unusual circumstances and working with them to ensure the best outcomes for the women we support is a privilege. As well as being welcomed by the team, the support I have received from wider agencies has also been brilliant. Everyone has been so helpful and accommodating whilst I have been figuring out my role in what is very new territory for me. All of this has meant that an experience that could have been very difficult has been a pleasure. From the notes of encouragement to the chats and practical help – I couldn’t have done any of it without my team!