Hani’s Story

“YMCA was my future. Through the guidance, through the support, I was able to build myself and believe in myself. YMCA is part of me.”

In 2017 Hani found herself homeless on the streets of London. She had been forced out of her family home in part due to overcrowding, but mainly as a result of wanting a voice and a career.

Hani recalls being at a phone box, shivering in the cold and afraid. She was on the phone with the council’s out-of-hours homelessness support services. The kind lady she spoke with sensed her desperation and fear and managed to find her shelter with us here at YMCA Milton Keynes in our, then, emergency shelter.

Having never been to Milton Keynes, she got on a train from Euston and arrived here at night with only a single suitcase. She was greeted, she told me by a member who staff named Lola, who she described as “so kind and welcoming.”

Hani was so relieved to have a safe space to stay and felt welcomed. She was quickly moved out of the shelter and into her own flat on campus. She made good friends in the building and has stayed in touch with many of them.

Our recruitment services helped her to quickly get a job at the Amazon warehouse, which she remembers being so grateful for and enjoying.

Hani worked hard and stayed with us for just over a year.

Fast forward to today, Hani is a proud mother of five beautiful children, a cleaning business owner and empowerment coach here in Milton Keynes. She proudly tells everyone she meets about her time at the YMCA and what it means to her.

It’s in her heart she told me. “The YMCA believed in me!”