Fatima's story

After years of experiencing controlling and abusive behaviour, Fatima found herself facing an uncertain future. She had spent much of her life trying to survive difficult circumstances, always finding the strength to get back up despite what she had been through.

“My ex-husband used to tell me I was like a cockroach,” Fatima explains. “Every time you stamp a cockroach, it keeps coming up. Even if there was a nuclear bomb, a cockroach will survive. He didn’t understand where I got the strength of getting up every time he stamped me.”

When her marriage ended, Fatima faced another painful challenge. The separation meant she was no longer living with her children, something she found incredibly difficult.

“I would really love to have them and raise them myself,” she says.

After leaving the relationship, Fatima moved into temporary accommodation. Although it gave her somewhere to stay, the uncertainty added to the stress she was already experiencing.

“Not being sure where you’re going… it was difficult even to secure yourself with a GP because you don’t know how long you’ll be in that accommodation. It just made me not be at ease constantly.”

Fatima worried she could receive a phone call at any time telling her she needed to move again and start over somewhere new.

Through Response, Fatima was supported to move into a settled home where she could begin rebuilding her life. Having a safe and secure place to live gave her the stability she had been missing for so long.

“For someone who had it rough and then all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh, okay. This is my place. I can do whatever I want,’” she says.

Fatima immediately felt that her new home was the right fit for her. It gave her the freedom to make choices about her own life and the confidence to look towards the future.

“It felt like the property fitted me, for once in my life, it literally fitted me.”

The location was important too. Being close to public transport, local amenities, her mosque and her wider community helped Fatima feel connected and independent.

“Response gave me this lovely property where I can see myself safe. I can sleep and I can wake up. I have a shelter.”

For Fatima, having a home meant much more than having four walls around her. It gave her a place where she could feel safe, regain control and focus on herself.

“When I step in this flat, the first thing I say to myself was ‘enough is enough’. This is the time now I need to focus on myself.”

With the support of Response, Fatima has a secure foundation from which to move forward, rebuild her confidence and create a future on her own terms.