“I’m proud that I didn’t give up. Even when it was difficult, I kept moving forward”.Alpha, 22 years old, Sierra Leone
Alpha arrived in Athens in 2019 after fleeing Sierra Leone. For a while, he slept in parks and on the street, carrying the weight of uncertainty and the pain of losing his family.
“I felt hopeless”, he recalls. “I had no hope”.
A year later, he was referred to The HOME Project. He still remembers that first day clearly: arriving in a van, seeing our team waiting for him outside the shelter, and being greeted with handshakes and warm smiles. He was shown to his room, given clean clothes, and invited to take a shower.
“For the first time, I felt like I had a family again. The staff took me in as their child. They cared for me and supported me”, he says.
The shelter quickly became more than a roof over his head. It was a place to heal and the beginning of his new life. He realized that he had been given the opportunity to determine his own future. He went to school each morning and attended Greek classes every afternoon. On Saturdays, he participated in our Youth to Youth program at ACS Athens, which helped him learn English, while on Sundays he trained with a local football club. A structured daily life brought stability. The encouragement brought confidence.
Communication was one of his biggest challenges. Alpha was shy, and in his culture, looking adults in the eye or speaking openly about personal needs was not common. Even asking for something simple felt overwhelming. With steady support, he slowly began to find his voice. Step by step, his Greek improved. So did his belief in himself. What mattered most during those early months was safety. “When I was sleeping outside, I constantly felt unsafe”, he admits. “In the shelter, I knew I was protected. I felt guided. I felt like I belonged somewhere”.
Over time, Alpha became known for his quiet reliability. He helped with chores and supported group activities without being asked. When a coordinator once told him he was proud of him, Alpha carried those words with him. “That’s when I felt proud of myself too”, he highlights.
Once he reached adulthood, he moved into our 18+ shelter for young men and found work in a pastry shop. When the business shut down, instead of giving up, he returned to the place that had first helped him stand on his own. He asked if there might be an opportunity to contribute. He soon joined our team as a cleaner in one of our shelters for teenage boys.
“It was one of the happiest moments of my life”, he admits. “The same place that supported me gave me a chance to work”. His role goes far beyond maintaining the space. The boys know that he once stood where they stand now. When he encourages them to attend school, learn Greek, or respect the staff, his words carry lived experience. He explains the importance of patience, of asking for help instead of reacting with anger, and of understanding that guidance is a form of care.
Outside of work, Alpha’s life has transformed in another profound way: he is now a father. His mornings begin early, as he washes, dresses, and plays with his daughter, Djene, before heading to the shelter. Nights are often short. It is demanding, and he says so honestly. But it is also grounding. “Before, home was something I had lost”, Alpha reflects. “Today, home means safety, responsibility, and family. Home is my daughter. Home is stability”.
When he looks back on his journey, what stands out most is his persistence. “I’m proud that I didn’t give up”, he says. “Even when it was difficult, I kept moving forward”.