By Emma McClelland - 20 July 2021
When Ana’s* husband passed away, she made a decision she believed would give their young son the best possible education and opportunities. They moved to London, where they would encounter financial hardship and unscrupulous individuals; and would require every ounce of their resilience.
This story highlights the complex, multifaceted nature of many of our beneficiaries’ predicaments, which can’t be solved by the simple answering of a question. Instead, these cases unfold over months, if not years, and require advocacy, empathy and experience.
A fork in the road
Ana grew up in a small town in Bulgaria. Smart and well-educated, she worked as a psychologist and specialised in children’s psychology. In 2015, tragedy struck when her husband passed away, leaving her and their young son, Nikolay, behind.
Ana’s sole priority was her son. She firmly believed that the UK provided one of the highest standards of education, so - with Nikolay’s future in mind - they embarked on a new life in London. It was a bold choice for a single mother whose English language skills were still developing, but it seemed the right one.
Ana took up employment and was working on a contract in the hospitality industry in 2019 when a friend registered her as a sole trader. Confused about the tax implications of self-employment, Ana approached us for advice. It quickly became apparent that this was not her only problem.
A campaign of cruelty
We learned that Ana and twelve-year-old Nicolay were struggling with accommodation. They had sublet a house but the owner and his partner were now trying to force them out. Their campaign to expel Ana and Nicolay included shutting off the heating and leaving windows open to make the house insufferably cold. After contacting the council, who ran checks on the house and whether it was eligible to be sublet, Ana received an eviction notice.
A litany of failures followed, with the council turning her away for help with accommodation, and another charity telling her that she was ‘making herself homeless’. As there was no translator available for these conversations, her son had to translate everything. Service Provision and Development Manager, Lora Tabakova, who supported Ana, remarked: “It’s a lot for a young boy to handle. Now, when you look at him, you no longer see a child.”
While trying to find another place to live, Ana was assaulted by the man she was renting the property from. She went to the police and he was remanded in custody, but she returned to the house to find her clothes strewn on the ground. She and her son calmly collected them and, shortly afterwards, found a new place to live.
Initially, the new house seemed fine, but a mould issue began to cause Ana problems with her lungs, making her sick. With our help, she contacted her GP, who prescribed antibiotics, and applied for Universal Credit. Our team discussed employment rights and the EU Settlement Scheme with her; both issues pertinent to their case.
Ana recently rented another new flat for herself and Nickolay, who is doing well at school. She still works and receives UC, but is struggling to make ends meet after a utility provider bombarded her with letters threatening action if she didn’t pay money owed by previous renters. Under pressure, she paid, and is now reliant on food bank tokens.
Hope for the future
Ana’s experiences have taken an emotional strain on her. They illustrate that people’s issues are rarely about ‘just’ Universal Credit or ‘just’ self-employment. They are merely the tip of an iceberg, the majority of which sits under the surface. These kinds of experiences also highlight that, while individuals may realise that they operate within a civic structure, it is not so easy to navigate. It is also apparent that civic society organisations like ours must continue to work with local councils to help them support communities they may not currently understand or serve.
Ana and her son are resilient and our support for them has no time limit. So, while this case study is a stark reminder of the struggles many of our beneficiaries experience, it is also a story of hope for the future. We hope it is a future in which, someday, Nickolay will enjoy the happiness and success his mother fought for.
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* Not her real name. Both individuals’ names have been changed to protect their anonymity.
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