Angelika felt instantly drawn to Dot Dot Dot’s volunteer-based approach.
Living as a property guardian complements her work and lifestyle as a charity founder.
Find out more about her charity and how, for her, guardianship is free from the constraints of renting.
A charity founder, nature-lover and science communicator, Angelika is also a Dot Dot Dot property guardian in south east London. She first heard about us through a colleague when she was looking to move to the city.
“I used to work in social housing so I’ve known about property guardianship as a concept for a long time,” she explains. “For me, there was an instant value match with Dot Dot Dot because their guardians are also committed volunteers.”
“I understand the value of charity work,” Angelika goes on. “I actually founded and run a charity in Poland called Rainbow after Rain. Our work involves funding psychotherapy for people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to the physical and mental health of LGBTQIA+ people,” she goes on to explain. “It is shocking to find out that 83% of medical professionals don’t know much about what it means to be a trans person, for example. We are working on a long term project to help combat this. When you’re distressed and you have to spend hours and hours looking for help and support online, it is even worse when you don’t know if you can trust the person who is sitting in front of you.”
“We’ve built and keep developing something we call the ‘Map of Support’. It is a database of trusted mental health professionals (therapists, psychiatrists, sexologists etc). We check how trained they are, and in what areas (i.e. same sex couples therapy, neurodivergent patients etc.). We want to make sure the people who say they are LGBTQIA+ friendly are actually helping and not traumatizing people further.”
“I’ve found being a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot really freeing. First, I get to decorate the space how I want. My flat is still a work in progress. Being able to enjoy my living environment is really important – I spend so much time here. I want the space to reflect who I am as a person, and with Dot Dot Dot I get to do that.”
“Second, I wouldn’t be able to live alone in London if it weren’t for Dot Dot Dot. Their properties are great low-cost alternatives to private rental flats and, like me, they believe in this alternative currency of altruism.”
Angelika
Guardian in Abbey Wood
