Nadia’s Story
Nadia is a resilient 23-year-old Eritrean woman who has faced immense challenges, including severe trauma, ongoing mental and physical health issues, and extreme poverty. Isolated from her family, she has had to navigate life with very limited support. Despite these difficulties, Nadia continues to show strength and determination. With consistent, compassionate support, she is beginning to build a safer, more stable life. Her story reflects the importance of empathy, patience, and meeting people where they are.
About Nadia
Nadia lives with diagnosed PTSD and psychosis, alongside undiagnosed physical health symptoms like fainting, memory loss, and incontinence. On top of this, she faces deep isolation, being separated from her family and living in extreme poverty.
Despite these challenges, Nadia has built a small community of Eritrean friends who offer support where they can. Still, daily life remains incredibly hard. She struggles with managing money, appointments, and essential documents. This means she has rent and utility arrears, and often has no money left for food. While physically capable, she needs high levels of practical support to cope with everyday tasks.
Helping with the essentials
When we first met Nadia, she was living in just the shell of a flat. Nadia had no bed, carpet, or working utilities, and her flat was covered in black mould. Slowly, with support from hyh’s intensive outreach workers and other professionals, things began to change. She now has a bed, a warm blanket, and clothes suited to the season. Her flat has white goods and electricity, and she now knows how to top up her meter. She’s even started painting the walls herself. These small steps help to make her space feel more like home. Once the mould is treated, the flat will be redecorated and carpeted to create a warm, safe environment.
Ongoing support
Nadia’s mental health needs are complex and ongoing. She sometimes shows challenging behaviours. For example, throwing away possessions, or reacting aggressively when overwhelmed. She’s also at risk of exploitation, and concerns have recently been raised about a new friendship. Her professional support network, including hyh, is monitoring the situation closely and working together to keep her safe.
Nadia often engages well, contacting us a few times a day, working through bills, housing, and other urgent needs. These regular calls are a sign of trust, and a strong reminder that consistency, patience, and compassion go a long way.
Looking towards the future
Nadia’s journey is an extremely complicated case. Everyone involved wants Nadia to feel seen, supported, and secure. We know that healing from trauma takes time and that progress looks different for everyone. The most important thing is that Nadia is not doing this alone.
hyh continues to stand alongside her, making sure her basic needs are met and advocating for the medical and emotional support Nadia deserves. Together with her wider support network, we’re helping Nadia take steady steps towards a safer, more stable future.