After years of abuse, Linda decided to leave

After arriving in the UK just over 3 years ago, Linda thought this would be the start of an amazing time filled travelling and making memories with her family, whilst also continuing her small clothing business.

However, an incredible act of strength triggered a social housing need for Linda and her two children, aged 20 & 6. After years of abuse, Linda decided to leave her husband and therefore needed housing support from Coventry City Council.

This was in July 2020. The UK was just starting to deal with the trauma of the 1^st national lockdown due to the pandemic, which only added to the stress and pressure of what they were going through. Linda: “Living with someone so abusive, it was not easy. Also seeing how it affected my children, no it was not easy. It felt like the whole world was coming in on us. We were still happy to be together, but it was tough."

The council swiftly placed Linda and her children into one of our temporary accommodation properties, where they were able to stay for around 11 months. But what makes our relationship with the City Council special, is that we can also offer long-term sustainable tenancies for a number of our residents. Linda is one of those residents, and they moved into their new home in Summer of 2021, where the family will stay for a minimum of 2 years. Although Linda was very happy in our temporary accommodation property, it’s safe to say she was more than happy to discover where she would now be living.

“I remember being like ‘Oh the floor! And the bathroom, and my kitchen – I LOVE IT!’ The property is more spacious and we have such a nice size garden. Home sweet home! When you open the door, you know that ‘ah, this is my home’. I have somewhere to lay my head, and my children are safe & happy. I am very happy.”

Since being in the property, Linda has also had support from our charity partner, Keystone Foundation, who helped organise her food shopping routine. It’s an absolute pleasure to see how Linda has settled into the property, really making the place a home. Although she has had to slowly build up her possessions again, it’s great to see that Linda and her family will continue to build new, happy memories together.

And as for Linda’s future plans, she likes to keep it simple yet so beautiful… “Live long, take care of my 2 children & make them happy. I would also love to buy my own house one day”