Roundabout helps Husam to prepare for a brighter future
Husam Thabit has ambitions to study at university with the intention of becoming a dentist…and with the support of South Yorkshire youth homelessness charity Roundabout he is taking the first steps towards making that dream a reality.
“There was war in Yemen, it wasn’t a safe place place to be ,” he says.
Travelling alone via Egypt, Husam - who has dual nationality - arrived safely in Sheffield and lived for a while with his aunt and her family.
“I stayed there until I was 18 but it was crowded and there wasn’t really space for me, so I felt like I needed to leave,” he explains.
With nobody else to support him and with nowhere to go, he reported himself as homeless and contacted social services.
And it was with their encouragement that he was referred to Roundabout and its Dispersed Housing service.
The Roundabout Dispersed Housing service, commissioned by Sheffield City Council, provides high-quality semi-supported housing for young people aged 16 to 25.
Offering self-contained and well-furnished accommodation, the service caters to the diverse needs of young people, employing a one-to-one strength-based approach to build trust, break down barriers, and support personal progression.
Through regular home visits, Roundabout supports young people to achieve their chosen goals, fostering self-esteem and confidence.
The service also works in tandem with professional services to empower young people with the essential life skills they need for independent living and helping them integrate in their community.
Husam now has his own flat and has finished his first year as a student at Hillsborough College, where he is studying to improve his English and work towards the qualifications that will eventually lead on to university.
When he was given the opportunity of work experience with the Sheffield branch of national supermarket chain Waitrose, he was kitted out for interview by The Suit Works, the Sheffield charity that helps and supports unemployed people of all ages who are trying to get into work by giving them a styling session and smart interview appropriate clothing.
The work experience proved so successful that Husam is now looking forward to a part time post with Waitrose, combining both work and study as he prepares for a brighter future.
“My life would have been really, really bad if I hadn’t been put in touch with Roundabout,” he says.
“I couldn’t live with my father or go back to my auntie and there was nowhere else for me so I would have been cold and scared and I know I would have ended up on the streets and met people who would have taken me into all sorts of bad situations.”
Instead, at the age of just 19 he feels safe and secure in his own flat, which he says is somewhere he can now call home for the first time.
“I’m starting my Level 2 studies and I want my English to be much better - I want to go to university and study dentistry because I think that is a very good profession and something that I would really enjoy,” he says.
“It’s going to take time but I want to do this and I feel lucky that I have Roundabout supporting me.”