MimiCares was founded by Michelle Olafisoye, also known as Mimi, whose passion for community, justice, dignity and social impact is rooted in both her professional experience and her own lived experience.
- Criminology & Social Policy · Academic background
- Human Rights Law · Master’s degree
- Magistrate · North East London
- Lived experience · Housing insecurity & hardship
Michelle has an academic background in Criminology and Social Policy and holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law. She also serves as a Magistrate in North East London, experiences which have strengthened her understanding of people, communities, inequality and the importance of dignity and fairness.
But MimiCares is also deeply personal.
There came a season in Michelle’s life when she experienced financial hardship and housing insecurity, leaving her without a permanent place to call home.
She sofa-surfed, moved between different places and experienced the uncertainty of not knowing where she would be staying next. While some people offered her somewhere to stay, those experiences were not always easy, comfortable or supportive. At one point, she spent a few nights sleeping on a building corridor floor.
Michelle had already developed a deep awareness of inequality and vulnerability through her education, professional experiences and life experiences. But experiencing financial hardship and housing insecurity herself gave her a different perspective. It allowed her to see more personally the realities that can accompany financial struggle — including uncertainty, vulnerability, instability and the feeling of not knowing where you belong.
Those experiences did not define her, but they deepened her understanding of the importance of dignity, compassion, practical support and community.
MimiCares is personal to me because I understand that life can change unexpectedly.
I know what it feels like not to have all the answers or to know exactly what comes next.
And I know how much it can mean when someone chooses to show you kindness along the way.
Michelle Olafisoye, Founder
That is why MimiCares exists:
A person’s circumstances should never determine their dignity.
And above all, MimiCares exists to remind people that no one should feel invisible or alone.