I came to Emmaus Gloucestershire in May 2024 and settled in quite easily. Before I arrived here, I knew I was going to be homeless in a couple of days. I went to two other organisations first, but they couldn’t help me and sent me here. Emmaus was very organised, I was here on a Friday and moved in the following Tuesday. I knew Emmaus was a charity shop from when I lived in Cheltenham, but I didn’t know they helped people like how they’ve helped me.
Life before Emmaus
I’m from Poland and have been in England for 17 years, first in London working in a kitchen and then in Cheltenham working in a factory for nine years and doing a few other jobs too. When Covid started, that was when all my troubles began. I lost my job and didn’t have enough money to apply for my immigration status before the deadline, which meant that I couldn’t work. I stayed with a friend for a year and then another for a year and a half, but they became sick and decided to move home, so I couldn’t stay.
Support from Emmaus
I’m finding it very easy to live at Emmaus, the people are friendly, it’s nice and quiet, no one is arguing and there is no drinking or drugs. In the shop, I help to sort the books and I’m quite happy with that. I have also been offered a couple of e-learning courses through iHasco.
Recently, the staff at Emmaus helped me to apply for my immigration status and sent a supporting letter with my application to explain why I was applying late. It took just under two weeks from when we sent the application to hear that I got my settled status. It’s a massive relief. I feel more comfortable now and I can do everything like I used to before Brexit. It felt quite stressful; I had access to a bank, the NHS, and opticians for 15 years and lost it. I’m back to normal now. I haven’t seen a doctor in four years, but I’ve registered in Gloucester, and I’ve already booked an appointment with the dentist and opticians.
Next steps
Now that I have my status, there are a few things that I need to sort out before I start thinking about leaving Emmaus. I aim to save some money and pay off debts because I was using my overdraft when I couldn’t work, and I would also like to refresh my forklift license. I know this will be easy for me, as I already have all the licenses for every single type of forklift and it’s like riding a bike, you never forget!