Life goals of securing independent accommodation and a British passport have been achieved for Dana Shikah, who came to England from Iraq in 2002.

When Dana Shikah arrived in England he was alone, having applied for asylum in the UK due to the war in Iraq.

But after years of homelessness, he was referred to Ipswich Homelessness Supported Housing - and has since seen "everything fall into place".

He said: "I arrived in the country alone and without any family.

"In 2020 I was referred to Sanctuary Supported Living's homelessness service in Ipswich by a friend that I knew who was already living in one of the shared flats there.

"I was overjoyed when I got the phone call to come in for an assessment and even happier when I was offered the accommodation where I was able to share with someone that I already knew. We had the same religion and spoke the same language.

"From my first night with Sanctuary Supported Living, I was able to sleep easily for the first time in many years. And, for the first time in a long time, I had hope and a feeling that everything was going to be OK."

Since moving into the Berners Street accommodation, Shikah has been able to tick off a number of goals that he'd been hoping to achieve when he first arrived in the UK.

"All my life outstanding goals have been achieved with the main one being that I'm no longer homeless and I have settled status in the country and a British passport.

"The other is me being able to eventually secure my own independent accommodation. Both of these things have always caused me great anxiety.

"I'm so extremely happy that I have been able to achieve this even through Covid and despite a very difficult time where I thought that I wouldn't.

"With the support from the amazing staff team that initially made me feel so comfortable, I could actually open up about my situation without feeling judged. They helped me create a support plan.

"I'm now moving on to live independently and I will never forget the support I have received. It seemed as if everything fell in to place at the right time with the right people behind me and now I can see a hopeful future."