Lara* originally moved to the UK in 2015, after she earned a scholarship for her post-doctorate. She went back home temporarily to complete her reports, before landing a job as a researcher in 2017 and coming back to the UK. Due to the impacts of Covid-19 in 2020, Lara unfortunately lost her contract, but has happily been working as a tutor and teaching assistant since.
Despite having a stable job, Lara found herself in a difficult situation when she was forced to flee an abusive marriage whilst pregnant. She contacted an organisation who support people affected by violence and exploitation, and they helped her to leave the very same day. The organisation were able to find temporary accommodation for Lara, and provide her with some money for essentials.
“It’s very scary thinking about not having a place to be with my baby, so I just thought I really needed to find a place as soon as possible.”
However, with a baby on the way, living in hotels without access to proper cooking facilities was not ideal. The organisation then put Lara in touch with Nacro, a charity that can provide support with accessing housing.
“You need to pay the rent, you need to pay the deposit, you need to put furniture in, you need lots of things for a home – so I was struggling a bit.”
Due to the urgency in which she had to leave, Lara had moved out of her home with little more than a few bags of luggage. To furnish the house for herself and her baby, she had spent a lot of her savings, and struggled to afford the deposit. That’s when Pam applied for a grant from the Vicar’s Relief Fund to cover Lara’s deposit and first month’s rent to secure her new home.
“They just painted everything here. The landlord’s quite responsive, everything that needs to be done he responds to very quickly. The roads here are very quiet, the neighbours are as well, it’s a very peaceful place, I’m enjoying it.”
Lara is now in her safe, new home, preparing for the arrival of her baby boy. She’s still working part-time, and hopes to return to a career in research one day. For now, though, she’s keen to relax before the baby arrives.
“I can just relax and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy now.”
*Please note names may have been changed to protect their privacy.
