When the Home Office paused his asylum application in 2016, Yusuf, originally from Syria, was left sofa surfing between friends.

“They were also refugees, and living in Home Office accommodation,” he said. “It was hard for them to support me, even for a very short while.

“I was relying on them to move from place to place and then I started to feel like it was unsustainable, and I was making them uncomfortable.”

After deciding to look for support in London, Yusuf ended up spending nights in a homeless shelter in Hackney.

“It was there that I met this really lovely person working at the shelter who told me that because I was an asylum seeker she could refer me to Refugees at Home.”

Yusuf was soon introduced to Jenny, one of our regular hosts living in Battersea.

“She picked me up from the station and I remember feeling really happy that after all this time I had a roof over my head, but also the chance to practice my English and observe how people live here.

“She fully trusted me in her home and walked me around the local area. On my first day she took me to the local library and helped me sign up.

“I would feed and play with her two cats. We used to eat dinner together most days and talk about different topics. I felt at ease, like we were family.”

For most of 2018, Yusuf stayed at the homes of both Jenny and Jon, a friend she introduced to hosting who lives just a few minutes’ walk away.

“He wasn’t just a host, he was a friend,” said Yusuf. “We played tennis, went on hikes. After I got my papers, we went to Portugal together and plan to travel again. He’s smart, considerate, and I learned a lot from him.”

While Yusuf was awaiting for his asylum decision, he volunteered at a few charities including Migrateful Kitchen, The Bike Project, and Syrian Supper Club, but he wanted to get back into work.

When he lived in Syria, Yusuf had founded his own small IT business with a friend, but because of the war, it sadly didn’t last. With a roof over his head and the stability provided by his placements with Jenny and Jon, he began thinking about his career.

“I had a desire to get back into technology, but I hadn’t been involved in it for about four years – which is a very long time, and you miss out on a lot. I went on a software development course which quickly helped me pick up the skills and passion again.”

Through his hard work, Yusuf went on to study part time for a masters in Machine Learning and Advanced Computing Technologies at the University of London. While he was doing so, he started working as a software consultant for several companies in the city.

In 2022, he started working as a software engineer at a large media company, a role he’s incredibly proud of.

“The culture is really good. My team is very friendly, and I’m taking the initiative and learning a lot. I’m really passionate about coding and problem solving. I feel lucky to work here, but it was also thanks to my hard work and studying.”

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