SINGLE mum Tara Evans was one of the first people to move into Jermyn Court with her 11-month-old son Luke-Anthony.

The 32-year-old says having her own safe, personal space is giving her time to rebuild her confidence and help her make a new start.

She escaped from a troubled relationship, initially going to the police who put her in touch with domestic violence charity Staying Put. She was given shelter at a bed and breakfast in Shipley until she was moved in to Jermyn Court on February 20.

She said: “It’s changed my life being here.

“I know it’s only temporary but I class it as my home, the B&B wasn’t like home, it was depressing. The staff at Jermyn Court are lovely.

“With their support I feel I’m better with people now and am starting to look forward to a happier future for me and my son.”

GCSE student Niloofar Bagherizadeh, 18, also lives at Jermyn Court with her mother, father and 14-year-old brother.

They moved in after the Home Office granted them leave to remain in the UK after they fled persecution in Iran.

“We had two weeks to get out of the G4S house where we’d been staying and had to go to Bradford Council for help. We had nowhere to go. It was very scary.”

Niloofar, who hopes to become a dentist, said: “We love our new place. we want to say thank you for this provision.

“The staff are all so lovely. I wish we could stay here forever.”

The family had previously had to share kitchen and bathroom facilities with other families.

In 2016/17, the number of people who approached Bradford Council with some form of housing needs reached 8,176. Out of those, a total of 1,063 told the Council they were homeless.