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Determination, hard work and a drive to create a better life has seen a Gateshead man go from being homeless with nowhere to stay, to successfully getting back on his feet and running his own small business.
Tyne Housing resident, Fedai (Feddo), has become a shining example of how a person can, with the right support, turn their life around, build new opportunities for themselves, and continue to create and realise personal achievements.
His story and turnaround are admirable (and nothing short of remarkable) as Fedai (50) is now the owner of a local small business selling various Mediterranean and natural produce items including bath bombs, salts and soaps.
He currently operates from a retail stall at Manor Walks Shopping Centre in Cramlington, Northumberland, and is gearing up for a busy period ahead selling individual hand-made products, traditional gift boxes and hamper sets that are the perfect present for special occasions as well as the festive season.
However, rewind five years and it was a very different situation for Fedai, a former graduate of the University of Istanbul and once owner of his own studio business overseas; he was made to flee his Turkish homeland due to political persecution, leaving his family behind and coming to the UK out of fear and necessity.
Due to such harrowing circumstances, he soon found himself relying on other people and community support services to provide ‘a bed for the night’ in temporary accommodation, and this created a huge sense of instability, insecurity and anxiety within.
After multiple moves and daily challenges, the husband and father of one was put in touch with North East housing provider, Tyne Housing, who along with his own determination to better his situation, provided dedicated advice and support services to help Fedai create a more stable foundation. This included arranging permanent, rented accommodation in Tyne & Wear, as well as social and employability advice to help him find his feet, fully integrate into the community and create a better life as a North East resident and small business owner.
Fedai commented: “I am grateful to Tyne Housing who firstly gave me a clean room to live in before offering me tenancy for a single person flat sometime later. I had been sleeping on the floor of a friends’ restaurant before this so I feel very supported, especially by my support worker, Lesley, who has given good advice and has a very friendly manner. Thanks to Tyne Housing, I have regained my self-confidence, and this has enabled me to set goals and work hard to achieve them.”
National charity, Crisis, estimates that more than 300,000 people are homeless on any given night in the UK, with ‘homelessness; being classed as more than ‘rooflessness’ or lack of a physical shelter, but also the lack of a home.[1]
Tyne Housing is a North East housing provider that offers accommodation, support and healthcare to vulnerable adults across Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. Many residents like Fedai often have backgrounds that are in total contrast to their current circumstances, and therefore support staff work hard to assist and get people to a place of living well, good health and wellbeing, and where possible, independence and self-sufficiency.
Lesley Stanners, Support Housing Officer from Tyne Housing, explained: “Our work goes far beyond finding accommodation for our service users, and can include providing social, lifestyle or skills guidance, and working with associate partner organisations to find employability. In Fedai’s case, this was also working with Ellis Stafford, Tyne’s employability coach, who through the BOOST programme, coordinated support from other organisations including Business Gateshead. They helped him to create a business plan and attend start-up workshops which as a result, saw him register and launch his new venture earlier this year.
“Many of our residents have the drive to become the best they can be but often their situation creates challenges. Fedai is an amazing person and a great example of someone who wanted to work hard to build opportunities for himself, using his flair and creativity to prosper and get back on track.
“Through effort and determination, he has embraced all the support we have offered and gained vital skills, for example, using an online app to learn English. He has continued with this for some time and is now mastering the language, and it has been the launchpad for a very positive future. He can now improve this further as a small business owner dealing with his customers so it’s brilliant and we’re thrilled for him.”
Tyne Housing is a charitable housing association focused on providing accommodation and support services to vulnerable and isolated adults in the North East.
This post was originally published on here
