I have big plans for the future. At some point I'd like to go to university and study psychology but I know that I need to take things one step at a time right now.
My journey began when I first came to the UK from Romania. I was looking for work and didn’t have enough money to put down a deposit for a flat. I lived with a friend on and off and stayed in a night shelter when I couldn’t pay rent. Then, in 2018, I started living in a group of night shelters that operated through different churches. Each night would be a different church. It was a difficult life but there are some parts of it I got used to and living this way started to become the norm for me. When the pandemic began, the shelters closed and I was helped into a hotel at first. I now rent somewhere privately that St Mungo's helped me set up.
At the moment I’m relying on my benefits but I don’t want to do that for long! I've come a long way since my time spent in the night shelters so I want to make the most of each opportunity that comes my way. Getting my security licence will mean I can earn my own money and support myself. I don’t want to be in the position where I have nothing again so going through this process means a lot to me. Once I'm in stable work, I'd love to save some money so that I can go to university in the future.