"I left my country five years ago and arrived in Barcelona last October," says Jack Choung*. During the first few days, he wandered around the city and spoke to everyone he could to explore possibilities that would allow him to generate an income and find a place to live, but nothing worked out. So, with the last of his savings, he decided to buy a sleeping bag, a tent and a metro card to get through the coming weeks in the city.

He continued to look for other resources and options when he heard about the Raval facility. "I went for dinner and saw that there were blackboards on the walls," explains Jack Choung, and a dinner guest confirmed that there in the premises, in addition to offering dinners and breakfasts, they also gave language classes, among many other activities. "I want to live my life here, and I want to be part of the Barcelona community," he says when he explains that his top priority is to learn Spanish and Catalan.

A few days after that first dinner, he spoke to the person in charge of the Landing program at the orientation point, and in less than a week, he was a student in all the of Spanish classes offered by the Foundation. "I asked if I could go every day, from Tuesday to Saturday, and they said yes, and that's what I'm doing," explains Jack Choung with a smile, while admitting that he had just started attending the Reading Room and give one to one classes.

"They also invited me to participate in other recreational activities and corporate volunteering programs," he says, emphasizing that these not only allowed him to network with local people but were also key to meeting and creating a strong support bond with other young people in the Landing program who were homeless. "We shared a table at dinners and breakfasts in the Raval and also shared advice on how to cope with our daily lives in Barcelona,".

"They told me about the BACstation shelters one night when it was starting to get very cold," he explains, although he admits that he didn't have much hope of getting a spot because there are many young people living on the streets. Nevertheless, a few weeks later, he received a message that he had to reread more than twice to fully believe it was real. "The next day, I could already start sleeping at the BACstation".

"Now I have a home, and that allows me to focus on my future," he says, comparing it to living on the streets, where he had to spend his energy finding places to eat, to shower, and to stay warm. "The support from BarcelonActua is a social elevator; it has given me opportunities to be on the same level as local people and to be part of the community. Now I can start my life," he emphasizes. From the moment he arrived, it was clear that he wanted to study. Today he has prepared a plan of action; to enroll in higher education and find a high value-added job in his city, Barcelona.