Naomi's journey with Justlife

Naomi joined Justlife as a social work placement student in October 2014 from the University of Salford and after finishing her placement in April 2015 she has remained with us as a volunteer until now. It has been brilliant to have Naomi on the team at the Manchester Centre. This is what she has to say:"My time at Justlife has been an unforgettable journey. Before working at Justlife I had no desire to work with the homeless, as I didn't believe I could work well alongside this specific service user group. The reason for this was the fear that my young age would become a problem when working with vulnerable adults. However, within days of working at the centre I felt at home as the staff were extremely welcoming and there was a sense of family within the environment. Following this, by building working relationships with service users I began to understand the extent of Justlife’s work and how it provides a sense of security for adults who have found themselves in uncontrollable situations. I have developed as an individual due to this placement; the service users have taught me that any person can lose sight of hope when dealing with multiple complex situations. Hopelessness escalates if they do not have any support; they can feel deflated and live up to society’s stereotype. Overall, my time at Justlife has been a brilliant learning experience and I have developed skills that will take with me further in the future. Homelessness is now my main passion and I hope to be working alongside homeless individuals in the near future; as we are all in need of somebody or something to motivate us to live the life that makes us happy."(Pic: Naomi (right) at the Justlife Christmas party)