Najla's Story
Two and a half years ago we welcomed Najla into our supported housing and accommodation, after she was referred to ACH for emergency housing. Fast forward to November 2020, Najla is well on her way to achieving her dream job in finance and accountancy and finding a home for her family.
Congratulations Najla, for everything you’ve achieved so far!
Read more to find out her story…
Najla has been with ACH since early 2018, after she was referred to our emergency housing by Bristol City Council. Our supported housing in Bristol offers a safe and secure place for people experiencing homelessness for many different reasons, providing a space for people to rebuild their lives.
For Najla, the moment she found out she was being offered a room in ACH shared housing is a poignant memory of her time with us. Recounting the moment, she told us she cried when she found out, saying ‘"ACH rescued me from being homeless".
Housing is so much more than a roof over your head. Having a safe place to live is the foundation for your health, career and wellbeing.
After Najla first moved in ACH accommodation, her children began living elsewhere. This has been a struggle for Najla, whose goal is to find suitable housing for her and her children. She also told us another of her goals is to gain skills in finance and accountancy and find a job she really wants.
Our ethos at the ACH training arm Himilo is to focus on an individual’s goals and dreams. There is no one journey or path for all, everyone has different skills and interests and we prioritise our learners personal ambitions. When it comes to employment, we are passionate about guiding our tenants and learners towards medium and higher level jobs, and encourage them to look beyond entry level roles.
After 3 months of guidance from her support worker Matilda, Najla got a job in retail. A year later, she was an assistant manager.
“Matilda really helped me, she helped me make several CVs, each one specific to certain jobs such as sales, retail and hospitality….I want to thank Matilda, Rachel and Akshah for all they have done for me”.
Today, Najla’s working towards a career in accountancy and finance and is currently finishing her Book-Keeping Level 2 course, where she’s been studying transactions and control. Najla is also taking part in an IT course and is looking for voluntary work experience in order to build her CV ready for her first role in finance.
We want to wish Najla the best of luck for her future, we can’t wait to see what she does next!
Want to find out more about our supported housing in Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry or Wolverhampton and referral process? Click here.
Are you an employer? Could you offer work experience placements? Email info@ach.org.uk to make a difference.
