“I’d call it an ugly divorce from my country”
Aziz, originally from Morocco, came to the UK for work. He got a job as cabin crew at Stansted Airport and spent 12 months living in nearby Bishop’s Stortford. When he decided to return home, he was surprised to find it wasn’t that simple.
“I’d call it an ugly divorce from my country,” said Aziz. “I used to write articles about the Moroccan government, and they didn’t like that. They blocked my passport and told me if I came back, I’d go to prison. My only choice was to apply for asylum.”
His asylum was granted, but after being given just 28 days to find accommodation, Aziz was facing homelessness.
“As a refugee, just meeting with a landlord is difficult,” he said. “There’s a bad name attached to refugees – they think you’re a criminal.
“I lost my room and that was it, I had nowhere to go. I bought a sleeping bag and was planning to stay on the street.”
Fortunately, he didn’t need it. After being referred to Refugees at Home, Aziz spent five weeks with one of our hosts in south London before starting his current placement in Reading.
“Staying with my hosts Anita and Steve is wonderful. They have a beautiful garden. I just open the door and everything is green. It’s not like London where you just hear the sirens everywhere – the noise is like music to me.
“I could not ask for any better hosts. I’m grateful and I’m going to be grateful for the next five years. I’m going to try to be the best human being I can, volunteer a lot, and do my part as a citizen.
“I took a big financial hit because of what happened to me, and Anita and Steve have been able to help me. They’re very supportive of me staying here until I rebuild my life.”
Thanks to his hard work, and the stability provided by his placement, that could be sooner rather than later. Aziz has just been offered a job, though his experiences with landlords made him cautious about sharing his background:
“I didn’t tell them I was a refugee until after they told me I had the job. At that moment it would be harder for them to discriminate against me.”
Now, as he prepares to start work, Aziz still has the sleeping bag from when nights on the streets seemed inevitable.
“I did keep it as a souvenir of course. Maybe one day I’ll go camping with it.”
