At the SIS AGM in December 2022, a SIS Service User gave a moving account of their journey with SIS, the different services they had used and the difference it has made to their life.
“I came to England to give myself sometime after my divorce. I didn’t speak English, but I do like a challenge. Then found things very difficult here. I fell ill a few months after I arrived, I got very unwell and did not find help so went back to Spain for 8-10 months got better there and decided to come back to England. I started working as sales assistant, cleaner and maintenance. I struggled with shifts, eating, and sleeping habits and my health problems started with joint inflammation and pain. Things got difficult because I did not speak the language and did not know how the system worked and I needed to go to medical appointments.
I felt very abandoned (due to isolation and language barrier) and I believe I would have gone back to Spain without the help of SIS.
SIS provided me with interpreters at these appointments which really helped. One day, speaking about my troubles to my interpreter at a session, she suggested I contacted SIS as they had volunteers that could help with some of the issues I was having such as general support with my bills and finding English lessons. I did not make it to the drop-in service but later, when things got worse with the pandemic, I spoke with the projects’ coordinator, who assigned me a Bilingual Community Navigator.
Having a Bilingual Community Navigator (BCN) support helped immensely with everything in general, and it was such a relief to have her help. My health was complicated, and I was lost with the appointments I was having: I did not know what they were for, whether they were telephone or face to face appts. or where they were. BCN support really helped me understand not only about my appointments but about what was happening to me with my physical and mental health. In addition to medical appointments, I had appointments with the council, Social services, and occupational therapy, I also needed support with food parcels, settlement status, financial help with my utility bills, using food banks, CAB, counselling for my depression and anxiety due to my health, family and isolation problems. BCN helped me navigate the system otherwise impossible for me to navigate and SIS has become a family to me. When I call the projects coordinator I know he will listen to me, I know the linguists will provide any support I need. I totally trust them, I’m a person who struggles to trust people I come from a country where people try to take advantage of others, In Peru you have to learn to fend for yourself. An example of this is that there are many Peruvians In Brighton but there isn’t a real community.
So, I was very lost, and it helped me feel better, SIS always gave me a solution, if they didn’t have it they pointed me in the right direction.
The other service I used is the Telephone befriender, I had three befrienders. One in particular, was of great support, we spoke about everything, there were no secrets between us, he said I was an open book for him, I miss him now. He’d call me even when he was travelling, it was better than a friendship, we would make each other laugh and I always felt better after speaking to him. He was very reliable; it was something special. We really connected, similar hobbies.
Before knowing that SIS existed I was asking favours from friends to request interpreters or find out about appts. Many people were unhappy to help, I had to rely on other people, and I ended up going to A&E. People used to say to me, fend for yourself and I felt lonely and isolated, with SIS I feel looked after and protected. What I really like about the people from SIS who have given me support is their humanity and their care.
The advice has always been spot on and service has given me more self-esteem, and more confidence to sort things out by myself because I know I have support, someone has my back. To receive this level of support and to think about it makes me feel emotional.
Now I am in a better mood, and I have a better idea on where to go to, how to get help. Before I got the BCN support I had no idea where to go to resolve my problems and now I’ve improved so much. I am forever grateful.
