The Mears Group has accommodated a victim of slavery and modern trafficking, and sufferer if severe PTSD, in dangerous and delapidated accommodation in Newcastle.
See photographs from today.
M, a nominee for an Amnesty Bravery Award, and a well known Volunteer in Newcastle, has bravely decided to speak out because he has no choice. He said:
“I am frightened but I want to share what we are going through – and what many asylum seekers are suffering , poor treatment and no control on our lives – in the situation in the housing we live provided by a subcontractor of the home office MEARS group. I am going to explain this in a chronological way below-
1. They came ( Mears group Builders) to our housing at the second week of MAY approx 11th of MAY without any notice to rewire the whole house and without giving us any opportunities to move our daily stuff they have started working.
2. They took the whole house flooring off ( as you can see in the pictures the wooden floor is visible). You can literally see the wires from the stairs as well while going down. I live on the 1st floor (it’s a duplex 4 bedroom house). We are 3 people living on the property atm and all are asylum seekers.
3. The whole house rewiring took nearly 2 weeks and they have left the house like this since the 19th of MAY. Please also see the way they have done the new rewiring which looks dangerous. The new sockets they put in the wall come out, switchboard out and you can move them ( PIcture attached). They are worse than the last wiring system we had.
4. I must add the housing provider does not provide us any cleaning or cleaning materials ( even in the whole covid period even we asked for) . We live in a little amount of money and no one wants to buy cleaning stuffs out of £39/week. And the mess the builders left are very rough ones and they can not be cleaned with normal materials. We do not have hover as well.
5. I have also attached a lot of pictures of the house and the backside ( where the fire exit should be ) you will see there is a blockage as well with lots of waste and it’s hard for us to through our bins as well using backside now.
6. Since the beginning of this month, I have reported this to the migrant help ( where you need to report normally ) twice about this situation. As you can see the whole kitchen ceiling is off and full of dangerous wires and I have a little son who visits me every Sunday by family court order and home office and the mears group knows about it very well.
7. I have reported this issue to the migrant help on 3/06/2021 and 11/06/21 ( Migrant help ref number- 210611-001328) that this is an emergency and we are left like this in a mess where is very hard to do day to daily life stuff . while we cook and if someone walks from the upstairs we get dirt coming off and gets the cooking dirty as well.
8. Since it’s been a month or so this is ongoing we feel very uncertain. and we are traumatized by them every time. I am also scared because i have raised this m, maybe home office will punish me or kick me out of this house. I have a son and also my uni is near. If they remove me i will be in big trouble. This is why i have not shared this until now. But I have to speak out now.
9. 17th of June 2 builders turn up without any notice again and left yearday the house with a lot of mess and dirt again. Our life in this house is very difficult. Al the time the builders leave the house dirty like. The bath, shower, kitchen, everywhere is like this. No one should be living in this dangerous condition
** what the MEARS group does now they use new tactics to get public tax money. they delay the working ( there is no time limits as i have asked the builders they confirmed to me they do not know) and get more money from the Home office. I have also spoken to the landlord. He was also been not notified about this and what the MEARS do they do their works and cut the money from the landlord rent every month.
Mears is a multimillion pound outsourcing company with a ten year multimillion pound government asylum contract in Glasgow and across the U.K. providing thousands of homes for profit to asylum seekers.
Robina Qureshi , Director of Positive Action in Housing, said:
“This is a man trying to better himself by studying at university, despite the fact that he has experienced terrible suffering in his own life, and is a proven victim of modern slavery and trafficking. He has severe PTAD and suffers flashbacks. He is a loving father. He has won awards for volunteering in his community. He has been nominated for an Amnesty Bravery Award. He would be a model citizen. He is frightened but now speaking out on his own behalf and on behalf of his flatmates and all asylum seekers who are suffering like this.
“The images we have seen are shocking. They should weigh heavy on the conscience of each and every board member of the Mears Group, if they have one left. But it’s one of many shameful cases in Glasgow and across the U.K. that we have seen.
“The contractors gets away with this sort of shameful behaviour because they depend on asylum seekers being too frightened to speak out in case it affects their asylum claim with the Home Office. So they stay largely silent and anonymous. That appears to be the business model that allows Mears to act with impunity. A responsible, accountable landlord would never do this.
“M and his flatmates would not be in this situation if they were allowed to work and pay rent and taxes like everyone else while they await their home office decisions. Then they could exercise a degree of housing choice. But they are not allowed to work or hold bank accounts.
“They are terrified of the Home Office and it’s contractors, from the fear of a wrong decision right down to the control excerted by the Aspen payment card where people’s purchases and movements monitored. say nothing. The Home Office appears not to regulate the behaviour of the accommodation provider. M is terrified of speaking out but he is doing it because he has zero choice, and tired of being scared and silent. He would rather work and pay taxes than take a penny or stay in this accommodation.”
“They are left penniless by an asylum system that actually forbids them from working. So they are forced into depending on Home Office contractors like Mears Group who make money for each night of accommodation they provide, no matter how shameful it is. The Home office spends months or years making up its mind on asylum claims and the contractors make even more money. Asylum seekers are in turn demonised for not working and left in a state of near destitution, terrified of upsetting their accommodation providers or the Home Office.
“The entire system is rigged in favour of the asylum contractors who make millions. Asylum policy is conveniently based on a narrative that promotes the hostile environment and demonises refugees for coming here.
“We are calling for this matter to be raised in Parliament and investigated fully by their MP Chi Onwurah to protect M’s interests and those of his flatmates. We want the Parliamentary committee on Home Affairs to look into this.
“These men deserve an apology first while we pursue legal options. A complaint is being lodged with the Home Secretary and Home Office Minister Chris Philp seeking a full investigation. M and his flat mates are very frightened to speak out but they are doing so. They are terrified that Mears Group will now punish them by separating them or putting them in worse accommodation or shipping them to another part of the country. We have seen this happen in Glasgow so are speaking out in support and asking Newcastle community members and antiracist organisations to support them.”
