For Marjan and her two sons, moving into their Local Space home in Newham has meant far more than having a roof over their heads. 

After years of homelessness, repeated moves and uncertainty, the family finally have somewhere they feel safe, settled and able to begin rebuilding their lives. 

Marjan, 47, is a mother of two boys aged 13 and 10. Since 2021, the family had experienced homelessness and spent several years moving between temporary accommodation while searching for a permanent place to call home. 

Each move meant packing up their lives again and starting over, often without knowing how long they would be able to stay or where they might be living next. 

“As a mother, there is nothing more painful than being unable to give your children a sense of safety and security,” Marjan explained.

For her family, the uncertainty affected almost every aspect of daily life, from school routines and sleep to wellbeing and the children’s confidence about the future. 

Years of instability

The constant moves between temporary properties had made it difficult to establish any lasting sense of stability or routine.

The family often found themselves living far from the children’s school in Hackney. Because of her older son’s needs, moving schools was not an option, meaning long and demanding journeys became part of everyday life.

Every morning, Marjan and her sons would leave home at around 7am. On some days, they spent up to four hours travelling, with two hours spent getting to school and another two getting back.

“During winter, buses were often delayed or overcrowded,” Marjan recalled. “I would be outside in the cold and rain with two exhausted children, constantly rushing between bus stops and streets.”

Once the children were at school, Marjan was often left with nowhere to go until the school day ended. Rather than travelling all the way back to the temporary accommodation, she would wait  until it was time to collect them. Some days, she carried heavy shopping bags with her for hours because there was no other opportunity to shop later.

“From morning until 3.30pm, I wandered around the streets of Hackney or sat in libraries waiting for school to finish,” she commented. “By the time we finally returned home at night, there was no energy left in me.”

The impact on family life

The repeated moves and uncertainty took a significant toll on the whole family. With no long-term home and little certainty about what came next, maintaining a consistent routine became increasingly difficult.

Marjan says the family often felt as though they were simply getting through each day rather than planning for the future. The lack of separate bedrooms was also challenging. Sharing one room often created stress between the boys, particularly because of their different needs.

Over time, the constant worry about her children’s wellbeing, education and future became overwhelming.

“The repeated moves and endless worry placed an unbearable weight on me,” she reflected.

A secure home through Local Space

Things began to change when Marjan and her sons moved into their current Local Space home in Hackney.

The property gave the family something they had been missing for years: stability, space and the confidence to start looking ahead.

For the first time, both boys had bedrooms of their own and somewhere they can go when they need quiet, privacy or time to themselves. Marjan says the difference was immediate.

“Having separate bedrooms for my children has made an enormous difference,” she said. “Now they each have their own safe space, and our home feels calmer and more peaceful.”

For Marjan, the change is about more than the physical space. It’s about finally being able to reassure her children that they are home.

“My son asks me every day, ‘Mum, we are staying in this house, aren’t we?’” Marjan shared. “Every day he needs reassurance that we will not be forced to leave again. That simple question shows how deeply years of instability affected him.”

A calmer future

Since moving into their Local Space home, Marjan says the greatest change has been seeing her son gradually regain confidence.

For a long time, anxiety and uncertainty had made everyday life difficult, meaning small changes could feel overwhelming.

Since moving into a quieter and more secure home, he has slowly started spending more time outdoors and rebuilding his confidence. Sometimes it is only for ten or fifteen minutes, but for Marjan those moments are hugely significant.

“Imagine being a mother who watches her child unable to step outside freely for almost two years,” she said. “Then finally seeing him slowly reconnect with the world because he feels safe again.”

For the family, the home has created the conditions they need to begin healing after years spent in survival mode. Marjan describes it as a turning point.

“For the first time in years, we finally feel safe,” she explained.

More than a roof

“This home is not just a roof over our heads,” Marjan commented. “To us, it means safety, peace, stability, hope and finally a chance to breathe again.”

It has given her children a calmer environment, helped restore a sense of routine and allowed the family to begin building a more stable future together. Her son tells her he loves the home and the area, and Marjan says the family are deeply grateful for the chance to begin again.

“After years of surviving rather than living, we finally feel that we may be able to build a calmer future for our family,” she added.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to Local Space for giving families like ours the opportunity to start again.”