James' story
Case study from January 10, 2018
Watch the video to hear from James about how his practitioner’s support has impacted him.
Moji, mother of two, was a motivated person who studied at University, before suffering leg and back injuries and subsequent deep depression. Unable to walk, let alone work, she and her children – James and Favour – were living in poverty, housed in temporary accommodation (in a top floor flat with no lift, so she was unable to leave home for months at a time) with no proper furniture or clothing. In her darkest moment, after being rejected for disability allowance, Moji attempted to take her own life. At the hospital, she put her SHS Practitioner, Sevgi, as her next of kin due to the relationship they’d built and the support Sevgi had provided. When she got out of hospital, Sevgi was even more determined to help Moji and her family to get the life they deserved.
Since then, things are much better. Sevgi accessed the SHS Welfare Fund to buy the children school uniforms and bags, proper beds to sleep in, transport to get to school, and items to make the home more accessible for Moji’s disability. Sevgi also worked with Shelter to get the family re-housed in suitable accommodation, helped Moji with her immigration status and appealed successfully for her disability allowance to be restarted. Throughout this, Sevgi took Favour to school and made her breakfast when Moji had to go to court.
Sevgi and Moji’s hard work has paid off. James recently won a scholarship to attend football college and is on track to becoming a professional footballer. Sevgi has empowered Moji, so that going forwards she feels strong enough to find resolutions for the family herself. She recently applied for a scholarship for Favour to attend a private secondary school with board, as she’s doing very well at primary school.