“We do not have to pay”

“I think all the services are good, we do not have to pay. I would like to see more professional education for men and women. You can practice what you learned and earn some money. The BRC should do something like that. Somebody   will be able to think that he can build his life.
                       The children also lack small things.” 

“You cannot work”

“[The BRC] is good, better than before. They helped me find university and a scholarship for an international university here in Bangkok. There are a lot of people that cannot pay for rent and the allowance is not enough to support them… The difficulty is that you cannot work because you are not a citizen. The BRC’s salaries are also very low even though you work for them. But I do not care about the money because my family abroad sends me money sometimes, but for others, they do not have the money to survive.”

“It is very different”

“They gave me medical services but at the beginning they could not help me to find something to do. In 4 years the BRC has improved a lot. When I came it was very busy. Now it is very different… we tried to build it as a community. We all tried to change it so that everyone who came would feel secure and relaxed. I am not sure if we were 100% successful but a lot had changed; now we have a learning center. Before, there was a lack of facilities and only a small old home and a lot of people.”

“I feel safe”

“The BRC tries to do their best. I feel safe at the BRC…It is better than the outside, but I am still afraid …The BRC helps because I meet people and I can talk to the BRC staff.”
 

“The BRC give me everything”

“Everything is very good, the BRC give me everything, clothes, food, medical, a place to stay, everything very good. Before I was in the deep.”

“We have to cut our expenses”

“[I am] absolutely happy, [the BRC] solve our financial problems and now we have enough to eat. I think they do enough, but if the monthly allowance was higher it would be better…We have to cut our expenses. We have to eat less, sleep early to save electricity. We cannot go out in order to save money…The BRC keeps me safe, but it is so far from my house, but I still come in order to work at the BRC. The BRC is a good place.”

“It is not enough”

“It gives me a sense of community; the BRC helps to ease things from the past. The allowance helps but it is not enough, but you are able to survive with the bare minimum.”