“I have been in survival mode, but now my life is starting.” – Bianca, Resident at Newman Street
The team at Newman Street provides an essential support service to residents in temporary accommodation. Their aim? To transform the lives of people in need.
Newman Street helped give Bianca* her life back. On being welcomed here, she struggled to hold a conversation. Suffering from pronounced trauma due to her abusive father, life was a whirlwind of depression, anxiety, and debilitating brain-fog. “Even if a pin dropped, I would start crying,” she recalls.
Slowly over time, and under close guidance from the Newman Street staff, Bianca began to recover some sense of herself. Conversations became possible, even rewarding. She was able to develop relationships, first with staff, and then with estranged members of her family. “With specialist support and therapy, I’m now much better,” she says. “The relationship with my family has improved, and I speak to my mum too.”
Two years since walking through the doors at Newman Street, referred by Westminster City Council as a person of considerable vulnerability, her life has been transformed. The week that we speak to her, she will receive the keys to her own accommodation. Her ambition now is to return to her profession in media production, having previously worked for the BBC.
“I am just so excited for the next stage in my life,” she says.
For the team at Newman Street, it’s been a privilege to watch Bianca’s progression
“I am so proud of her, how she’s worked with us, and now she’s going onto the next stage. We will be here for her if she needs any support.” – Newman Street Service Manager
Newman Street serves as a haven, a safe space, and a precious source of hope. Its 79 self-contained studio flats provide temporary accommodation to people, like Bianca, who have applied to the council for a solution to end their homelessness.
The team at Newman Street provide dedicated support to all the residents, overseeing housing support and linking them into services best placed to support their immediate needs during their stay, which can last up to 24 months.
“I joined the homelessness sector in 2020. I grew up on a socially deprived estate in South London and experienced the challenges that come with homelessness at a young age. I wanted to give back and support vulnerable communities.” – Newman Street Service Manager