56 Molly Huggins Close is now home to 4 lovely guardians who have all
struggled with housing in London. Lucy and Mackayla are nurses, Jordan is
studying a Masters in Global Mental Health and Rob is a photographer who
has been with LOWE since the very start. We managed to find a time that
suited everyone in between the night shifts and photo shoots, so I headed
down to Balham to have a chat about their guardian experiences so far.
The experience with LOWE was almost “too good to be true!”
Lucy and Mackayla left Australia together last year to come to Europe and
after travelling the continent for 7 months, they decided to settle down, here
in London. Lucy is a healthcare assistant at the London Clinic in Regent’s Park
and Mackayla is currently an in-home carer working in Wandsworth and prior
to this was working in a classroom for children with autism. They were living
in Tooting Broadway beforehand, and unfortunately experienced excessive
rent in a poorly maintained flat with a non-responsive landlord. This meant
that the majority of their wages went straight on accommodation and they
felt that they couldn’t fully enjoy the city. However, since being with LOWE
Guardians, Lucy and Mackayla told me that they are able to explore London
a little more and make the most of their time here, with the situation seeming
almost “too good to be true!”.
Similarly, Jordan needed an affordable housing solution to complete her
studies, so we were more than happy to play a small part in making this year
a little less stressful for her. Brought up in Cumbria and having spent her
undergraduate years in Bath, Jordan then moved to Cambridge to work for
the NHS as an assistant psychologist, initially hesitant to make the move to
London. She highlighted that this year will help her along the path to a career
in humanitarian settings or in a non-profit organisation dedicated to mental
health.
Finally, we have Rob, a veteran guardian that lived alongside our founder Tim
in LOWE’s very first property. As a photographer he made it clear that living
in London is almost a necessity in the industry and as he enters his fourth
year as a guardian, he highlighted the flexibility and freedom that being with
LOWE has allowed him and his career. At the beginning of the summer, Rob
moved from our Chelsea Police Station, where he was the Head Guardian,
to this smaller residential property, showing just how guardianship can work
at different stages of your life. He said that Chelsea Police station was ideal
when he first moved to the city and many of his closest friends were made
through living there so would recommend it to anyone nervous about finding
friends when coming to London, a place that can sometimes feel isolating.
Naturally as time has gone on, he fancied a change to a quieter lifestyle and
fortunately we were able to find something suitable.
Jordan, Lucy, Mackayla and Rob are all great examples of where guardianship
can help key workers, young professionals and creatives to focus on their
careers without the stress of extortionate rent prices. As we expand and
take on more properties and more guardians, we can hopefully allow more
people to pursue careers that can make positive changes in society. It was
really encouraging to hear that living with LOWE has allowed these guardians
to do so, unhindered by inflexible tenancy agreements or unaffordable rent.