TENANTS facing eviction from their homes in Sweets Way Estate in Barnet, north London, were joined by their recently evicted former neighbours on Sunday for a ‘Community Fun Day’, including music, a barbecue and games for the children.
Scores of families have been forcibly evicted from the estate by Barnet Homes in the past few weeks and there are fewer than a dozen families remaining, awaiting eviction.
Those families who have been evicted are still fighting Barnet Homes for appropriate and local accommodation, while those facing eviction are involved in the same struggle.
Rejane Barbosa, awaiting eviction, told News Line: ‘I’ve lived here since 2009 with my husband and two kids, on the private renting sector.
‘Circumstances changed, we got divorced, I’ve always been working part time but getting help from the council with housing benefit.
‘We knew they were planning to demolish, but we thought Barnet Homes would re-house us in the area.
‘But Barnet Homes say they haven’t got houses available in the area, or even in the borough.
‘After granting the permission for these people to make us homeless they turn round and say they’ve got no housing in Barnet for us at all.
‘In my case, because I’m in the private sector, the landlord has to go through the courts to evict me. We don’t have a date yet.
‘Barnet Homes say they won’t help until I have my eviction date.
‘It’s building up on us, all the stress, all the fear, all the uncertainty about the future, about my children’s lives, who are at school here five minutes away.
‘These are lovely homes that should not be demolished. It’s disgusting.
‘I’m so scared now to go and ask for help from Barnet, the way they treat people, the way they’re juggling with their lives.
‘We want to stay in the area, is that too much to ask?
‘Barnet say there are schools and doctors everywhere, but there are no trustable friends everywhere.
‘Today we are protesting against how Barnet is affecting people’s lives.
‘We want to be in Barnet. I don’t want my girls to change their dentist, school or anything.’
Anna Kasperek said: ‘I’ve lived here with my son and daughter since November 2009. Our story is the same as Rejane’s. I’m a single mother and even though I’m working, the landlords don’t accept single mothers.
‘So we are just waiting to be evicted and we are at the mercy of Barnet Homes. It is disgusting, these are perfectly good homes. I understand that it’s private property and they can do what they want.
‘However, Barnet Council, when agreeing to planning permission, should come up with some solution for people who need homes. At the moment, they have agreed to build overpriced property here for rich people to get even richer by overpricing the rent.
‘What they want to do is get rid of the poor people and make it a rich borough. There are only two choices – either move outside of London or work only to pay the bills – I’m not sure if that is a life.’
Enid Mutesi told News Line: ‘I moved out of here last Wednesday. I’ve had a very traumatic time. I fell on the stairs on Tuesday afternoon at 3.30pm. I called an ambulance, I was bleeding.
‘I went to Barnet Hospital where they checked me out. I had a cut on my head, they put glue there.
‘Even now, walking and breathing is difficult.
‘On Wednesday morning, I was crawling downstairs for a cup of tea and there was a bang on the door. It was the removals. I said, look at my face, I can’t walk, I’m in pain, maybe come another day.
‘They drove off and called Barnet Homes. Then a man and a woman came. They thought I was lying and were still insisting I had to go.
‘They were there for more than two hours. They said that because they had rented the removals, and the storage, if I don’t go I’ll have to meet the costs myself. After a long time of trying to convince them, they threw me out.’
She showed News Line a framed picture, ‘this is a picture of my parents, I just found it in the bin’. She continued: ‘So they moved me into this place with no chair to sit on, no TV, no saucepans.
‘I’ve got a 14-year-old son. My son wasn’t aware we were moving. After school he came back here and I had to get a minicab to come back and get him.’
Haydar Kurt said: ‘We are council tenants. We were evicted on 10th February and are now in emergency accommodation in Enfield.
‘It’s two hours from my son’s school. He’s now on antibiotics because it’s so stressful for him, he has to travel four hours a day. Currently we are waiting for an appeal and hoping to get back to Barnet.
‘This is a beautiful, peaceful estate, which has been ripped apart to build luxury houses. We were made homeless for ten days because we wouldn’t accept the unsuitable home they gave us.’
Najwa Hamze said: ‘I was evicted on 11th February. I’ve lived here for six years, since the estate opened. Previously the estate was lived in by soldiers and their families.
‘Since we’ve lived here we’ve loved it, it was a real community. It was full of people, but so calm and peaceful. Now I am in emergency accommodation with my boys in a studio flat and all of my stuff is in storage.
‘I’ve had to go to the shops to buy clothes to wear. I am disabled and they offered me a loft, which they called a flat, but it was a loft. I’m Palestinian. We lived in a camp in Lebanon. We left because of what happened and now the story repeats itself.’
Shireen Taha said: ‘I am Palestinian too, and now I know what my grandparents went through. I was evicted on 13th February. Me and my neighbour Peter, we took Notting Hill Housing Trust to court, but we lost.
‘On the day of the eviction they moved me to Edmonton, which is one hour by public transport. My son is doing his GCSEs and it’s too far, it’s very hard for him.’
Ash Aliverdipour is still living on the estate with his mother, father, brother and two sisters, despite attempts to evict the family.
He told News Line: ‘They evicted us last month with the eviction set for 1st March. Before that date we got several phone calls from Notting Hill Housing Trust saying they were going to change the locks and also that they were going to force us to move from the property.
‘Last week we got a solicitor and as soon as he spoke to them they stopped calling us. Barnet Homes haven’t offered us suitable alternative accommodation. We only moved here four months ago, but we have lived in Barnet for ten years.
‘My father has high mobility disability and for the past two months there has been so much pressure on him, he tried to take his own life on 10th February.
‘He went to a mental hospital and was discharged after three nights. We need proper accommodation for my father’s needs and all my family’s. My sisters are just four and seven.
‘Barnet Homes offered us private sector accommodation in Arnos Grove – a 12-month contract. But we need long-term council accommodation in Barnet. This is putting too much stress on my whole family. The council is just playing games with people.’
Mustafa Aliverdipour, Ash’s father, told News Line: ‘I used to look after elderly people in a care home, but I can’t work now.’
Justin Parsons, from Our West Hendon, said: ‘We’re here to support our community neighbours here at Sweets Way.
‘It’s disgraceful what they’re doing, deliberately destroying people’s lives, destroying their human rights in pursuit of profit. What was once a thriving community is completely decimated and decent homes are being replaced by expensive boxes.
‘All the residents should be returned to their original homes on secure tenancies, knowing that their futures are both secure and bright.
‘It was good to see the support that has come from different swathes of the community to show that they are not alone.
‘Our West Hendon is having a Day of Action on Friday 27th March from 8am-6pm, then our First Birthday Party on Saturday 28th, for the kids from 2pm-6pm and adults from 7pm-10.30pm.’
