Silah came to NCLR in 2013 after years of fear and abuse. Born in Mexico, Silah was able to escape terrible violence in her country of origin, where she was repeatedly threatened and harassed because of her gender expression and identity.

When she fled to the U.S., she encountered additional abuse and ended up homeless. Silah eventually found refuge in a variety of shelters in San Francisco and was later able to connect with a support group and eventually found NCLR. Although her own asylum and housing were uncertain, Silah began to advocate for others around her to find stable housing. Through her advocacy she took leadership as a part of a homelessness task force and began speaking at a variety of conferences not only sharing her story, but the stories of others who are unhomed.

In 2014, with the help of our Immigration Project, Silah became the 441st NCLR client to be granted asylum. With the security of the decision, Silah began taking classes towards becoming a nurse. She has since moved to Washington State and is making plans to transfer to receive her Bachelor’s in Nursing.