Morning:
21°c
Bent against the chill in a flimsy skirt and top, Ade picked up her children from school and walked towards Bromley High Street where she stopped across the road from a barber shop advertising a “wash & cut for £10”.
But Ade, 39, had not come for a quick trim. Rather, she waited for the last customer to leave before the barber discreetly signalled to her, and she and her family trooped into the shop. For the next 14 hours this hair salon, comprising a sofa, microwave oven and a lavatory at the back, doubled as a home for Ade and her family — her children aged 10, nine, seven and four, and her ailing 79-year-old mother. They would wash in a bucket, heat a few vegetables in the microwave, and bed down on the floor and sofa. At 7am, Ade would wake to clean the shop — her “payment” to the owner — and attempt to disinfect the boils that had appeared on her son's head. By 8.30am, before the barber opened, she and her family would have slipped out of the front door and be on their way to school.
This pitiful scene was repeated day after day despite Ade begging the social services department of her south-east London borough to house her destitute family. “There is nothing we can do — be grateful you have the hair salon,” a social worker told her.
When Ade's second eldest daughter got a chest infection, she dug her heels in and refused to leave the social worker's office until accommodation was found. “My elderly mother fell to the floor wailing and begging for mercy,” recalls Ade, “but the social worker called a policeman who handcuffed us and physically dragged us out of the building. I remember shouting: Am I a criminal to want a place for my children to sleep?'”
Last October social services were forced, under threat of human rights legal action by the charity Kids Company, to provide a home for Ade's immigrant family. The home they supplied in Croydon is a two-hour journey, via two buses and a tram, from the children's primary school in Bromley, but at least they now have a roof over their heads.
But that is just the beginning. Ade's application to the Home Office for leave to remain in the UK — having followed her husband here from Nigeria in 2003 and subsequently being beaten and abandoned by him — is still “pending”. It means that until the Home Office gets through its massive backlog, she and her children, the youngest of whom was born in London, are “without status”, neither legal nor illegal.
It also means that Ade, who is competent to work having completed two years of a computer science degree at university in Lagos, is barred from seeking employment or claiming benefits until her application is resolved. Apart from housing, she is classed as “having no recourse to public funds”.
Her children, moreover, are excluded from the 41 per cent of youngsters officially recorded as living in poverty in London because to government statisticians, illegal or “pending” immigrants like her do not count.
The London School of Economics estimates that there are 947,000 immigrants in the UK who are here illegally. Many come on six-month student or tourist visas that they over-stay — just like Ade and her husband — but most remain below the radar and end up joining the army of illegal workers propping up the economy.
Kids Company is aware of 300 immigrant families who receive no benefits and whose status has yet to be determined. It recently found one family sleeping in a shed. For many, their only means of survival is to turn to theft, drug dealing or prostitution. Ade has her own horror stories to recount, such as the landlord and immigration lawyer who demanded sex in lieu of services. She gave them short shrift. But how has she survived with no job, no benefits and no money in London?
Telling her story for the first time as part of the Evening Standard's week-long series on London's Dispossessed, Ade sits on a battered plastic sofa in her living room in Croydon.
She grew up in Lagos, the daughter of a cocoa trader, and she was still at university, she says, when her middle-class existence was shattered by a car accident that killed her father and brother. Unable to afford the fees, she got a job in a firm where she met a business administration graduate and at 29 married him, having three children in quick succession.
“In 2002, my husband lost his job and came to London,” she says. “He got work here as a concierge and a year later, I left the children with my mother and he brought me out, and I got a job, too, working as a security officer earning £700 a month. My husband told me he had permission to stay and that he was sorting my papers as well.
“We rented a flat in Elephant and Castle and in 2005 the kids joined us, followed by my mother, but instead of happiness, my husband started beating me. I discovered he was seeing other women, but when I challenged him he attacked me and threw boiling water over me. I was pregnant at the time and had to be admitted to hospital because he kicked me in the stomach and there was concern for the baby.
“The beatings became more and more frequent. In 2006, six months after our fourth child was born, neighbours heard me and the children screaming and called the police. They found me in a pool of blood but my husband had fled — it was the last time I ever saw him.” But Ade's problems were only just beginning. Keen to clarify her status, she approached her local MP Harriet Harman, who wrote to the Home Office to ask how Ade's application was progressing.
The Home Office replied that they had “no record” of her application, nor her husband's. “It was a huge shock because it meant I was here illegally. The Home Office said I should make a fresh application, but that until a decision was made, I was barred from claiming benefits or working.”
She stopped work and in early 2008 re-applied, hoping for a quick answer, but after a couple of months her money ran out and her landlord evicted them. Her one relative here, an uncle living in Bromley, took the six of them in and Ade moved the children to a local school. But eventually it became too much for her uncle's partner and she asked them to leave. For months they moved from place to place, living in squats and dingy flats.
Eventually, homeless and penniless, they wound up last year living in the hair salon. “You have no idea what it feels like,” says Ade, fighting back the tears. “You are so vulnerable, so desperate, if not for the kids you think of suicide. I had no clothes, no food. The children were amazing. They'd go to school and at night they would sit very quietly. Then one would say, we're cold mummy, we're hungry mummy'. They lost weight but hardly ever complained. If not for Kids Company and the Salvation Army, we would have starved. And we'd still be sleeping at the barber.”
Kids Company, she adds, provides her with legal aid and £50 of food vouchers and bus money a week.
Would she consider going back? “No, no, please God no— I have been here seven years and my kids are doing well at school. My eldest is top of her class and her teachers say she's one of the gifted and talented.
“There is nothing for me in Nigeria. The Home Office have promised me an answer by July. I pray for a good answer so I can finally end this nightmare. It's been two years now. Why can't they decide quickly? When I pick up the children with the other mums at the school gates, I feel like a fool in my charity clothes. I am an educated person — if I was allowed to work, I could easily support my children.”
Upstairs in her children's bedroom, there are three beds but no cupboard. Where, I wonder, are their clothes? “What clothes?” she says. “Each child has two outfits, the one they're wearing and the one in the wash.”
In four months Ade will know her fate. Until then, she's stuck in limbo.
Reader views (29)
For all those saying 'Why don't they go back' have you considered the price of a flight to Nigeria, currently she can't even ask to be deported!
- Nathaniel, Bradford, 01/07/2010 15:30
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I would like to help Ade and her three children..may also give her a voice. I'm devastated by the character of most people's comments here and was wondering whether there is any way to get in touch with Ade?
- Anna Moll, United Kingdom, 03/05/2010 11:24
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Helping in such cases does not mean enabling such people to stay, helping means enabling them to prosper and get help in their country of origin.
Africa, Asia and numerous other places are no doubt rife with such sad stories, (as is UK), however importing these people to UK solves nothing and certainly does not stop the export of such problems.
Various agencies and journalists in UK are not helping by encouraging people smuggler gangs to keep on sending people here.
- Joe, London, 25/03/2010 11:25
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When I lived in England I had to leave my husband as he had beaten me black and blue. The local council told me there was no chance of getting a flat as i didn´t have children. I was told to find a cardboard box because it would help keep me warm and dry. It didn´t matter that I had been born and brought up in Britain and had paid a substantial amount of tax through the years. Anyway, with the help of a previous neighbour I moved abroad and have owned my own house for a while now.
- Glenda, stockholm sweden, 24/03/2010 16:59
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Annalena, read the article: she had a job (and was presumably paying tax), her husband lied to her about having put in an application for her residence. When she found out there was no application, she started the procedure and was told she would not be allowed to work or claim benefits while it was processed, so she quit her job. She has been waiting to be processed since early 2008, she is getting nothing from 'the British taxpayer', she is living on charity - i.e. people who choose to donate to support her and people like her.
To everyone who feels she should 'go back to her own country': I am a British citizen living abroad, the daughter of a Brit who moved to the Netherlands for a job. After 30 years here, he moved again, to Spain. He and the many other Brits and other Europeans making the same move are pushing up the house prices there so that young Spaniards can no longer afford to buy.
How about he, my brother and I 'go back to our own country', along with the 13 million other Brits living abroad? The three of us are also among the 1.1 million highly skilled Brits living abroad. What do you think it would mean for the UK job market, the NHS, other social services if all of us went 'back to our country'.
Either you believe everyone has the right to try make their fortune wherever, or you believe that no-one does. If those in the latter camp win the debate, we'll be back. All 13 million of us. Won't that be fun?
- Charlotte, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 10/03/2010 15:59
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@TA
Where does it say she was born in the UK? And if she was why isn't there any record of her??
- Deb, london, 08/03/2010 22:11
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You people are soo ignorant!! She was born in this country.. why dont you grow up.. if you dont have anything constructive to say then keep your mouth shut
- Ta, London, 05/03/2010 16:53
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Well Vicky, if England is such a horrible place, how is it that they all keep coming? And stay even if the streets here clearly aren't paved with gold?
I do feel sorry for Ade and her kids. They should be fed, clothed and kept safe. And then they should return to Nigeria. Why can she not get a job there if she has a computing degree? Why is it the responsibility of the British taxpayer to keep her? Nigeria is a rich country. If things there don't work the way the locals want them to, then it is up to them to sort things out. Europeans forced their corrupt elites to change, through revolution and political pressure. Sure, things here aren't perfect. But how will we ever resolve the issue of poverty for those already here when the world's poor just keep on coming?
- Annalena, Lewisham, 05/03/2010 13:16
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Terrible situation but at the end of the day this woman is an economic refugee. Why is she and her extended family the UK's problem? Any why is she been given assistance and access to services which are already near breaking point? It's probable that a family that has a legal right to live in the UK is missing out as a result.
- Dan Glendin, London, 05/03/2010 10:28
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Once again the ignorant “indigenous” people of Britain have spoken…
British (and other European countries) have their colonial fathers to thank for this influx of immigration.
After they stripped Africa of all of her natural resources and drove out the indigenous Africans from fertile land and put them to back-breaking work for their own profit (of course while spreading the Good News of the Gospel...), the British called upon immigrants from Africa, India and the Caribbean to help boost its economy following the second world war.
These immigrants were fed with false hopes of equality and a "better life" - but were rather duped into a new form of slavery (doing all the crap work for minimal wages).
Canada seems to be the only country that has realised that immigrants from countries made unbearable to live in following the "divide and conquer" regime of the Europeans, just want to work, and readily WELCOME them in to boost their economy.
I wish that all immigrants refused to work for a day and watch as Britain become a third world country over night.
Working immigrants have pumped billions of pounds into the British economy. What natural resource does Britain offer to other countries? Diseased cows spring to mind…
- Vicky, London, UK, 05/03/2010 09:38
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It is a shame for Ade to live in such conditions, especially when she has a young family. I'm not a bleeding heart liberal I do think that there are some serious questions that have to be raised about her story and perhaps she should be sent back to Nigeria.
The most important thing to remember though is that potentially her children could have starved to death, am I alone in finding this morally wrong?
It seams that we may be loosing site of issues that actually matter when it comes to people like this, I agree that as a hard working tax payer I don't relish the thought of my money going into an immigration black hole when it could be better spent on public services and improving the lives of British people, however I find the idea that in the 21st century we as a society we allow people to live in Victorian style squalor and poverty appalling.
I think that as Human beings we need to more to help these people whilst they are here, that doesn't necessarily mean allowing them to milk us dry.
- Dan, London, 05/03/2010 08:28
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As one of you other repsondents also says, I'm sure Ade is a well meaning and lovely lady. She is however an economic migrant and is not fleeing from persecution in her own country.
While we would all feel good welcoming economic migrants into the UK, the sad reality is that this country does not have the unlimited resources necessary to provide them with the standard of living to which they, and we, aspire.
In an era when care for the elderly, expensive medical treatment and pensions (for example) are being scaled back because they are no longer affordable through the state, it is difficult to see how Ade, and the many others like her who are already here or are attempting to reach these shores, can be welcomed without restriction.
- Stuart Vaughan, Richmond Surrey, 05/03/2010 07:49
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I would like to help this family in a little way with few things. Any suggestion on how to go about that.
- Abbey, London -UK, 05/03/2010 07:22
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2.5m (4 - 5m in reality) unemployed and rising - so please
explain to me why this country needs even more immigrants?
"Servant Of Jesus": Yes it is that easy - it's just thst
we're a soft-touch here!
- Lb, Bromley, 05/03/2010 07:17
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I would like to know what the Nigerian community in London are doing to help this Lady. When hundreds of Jewish people came to the East End during the 19th century, they too had nothing, but the Jewish community helped them get a start in life and they subsequently went on to make good lives for themselves. If you come to a foreign country to live you have to accept whatever life throws at you, as does the indiginous population. Speaking of which, why has ES totally marginalised the white working class who are also experiencing poverty in London?
- Joannie, Newham, London, 04/03/2010 22:44
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No vacancies
- Anglo, Sussex UK, 04/03/2010 16:37
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If the Home office have no record of her or her Husband, how did she get through immigration ??
If she has no status in this Country how did she work as a Security Guard ??
Somebody is not telling the truth, and whilst the article is very informative both of these subjects seem to be glossed over.
- Steve M, London, 04/03/2010 15:36
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"Why doesn't she just go back to her country" - Life is not that simple, that's why!
Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7)
May God bless the merciful/compassionate people of London and minster to the hearts of those who can't see past the end of their nose.
- Servant Of Jesus, Heaven, 04/03/2010 15:30
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If I were in her situation in Nigeria, would the authorities give me free board and lodgings plus handouts etc etc for me and my three children??? I don't think so! That's why the are all here!
- Wq, not in UK, 04/03/2010 15:25
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And it's all our fault.
- J B Blackett, Hendon, 04/03/2010 15:21
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On what grounds can she claim the right to reside? She has no job, no skills, no family ties. She should go home to her family. Her kids have recieved a free education, she's probably got some free medical attention as well. Neither of which she has paid a penny of tax for. She has enjoyed the charity of the British taxpayer now it's time to leave.
- Mark, London, 04/03/2010 15:11
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Yes its a sad story but I think Grim Reaper is right.you just can't expect everyome that arrives in england to be greated with open arms
- Lindona, italy, 04/03/2010 14:38
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Since she and her brood came here on her husband's 'ticket' surely they should now be returned to their own country? I can't see the problem.
- Parky, London, 04/03/2010 14:22
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Where did she get the £3200 to apply for visa's for her and her children?
I also thought you were subjected to a 10 year ban entering the country using deception and working without a valid visa.
- Rush, London, 04/03/2010 14:22
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How did her husband afford for them to come here if he'd lost his job in Nigeria ? Must have had a fair amount of savings......
- Andy Woodhead, London, ENGLAND, 04/03/2010 14:15
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Not sure what all these articles are meant to be doing. Judging by the many comments over the past days, i am not alone in thinking this is not our problem, until they start getting hard earned benfits that they really shoudlnt be entitled to...
- Joanna, london, 04/03/2010 14:04
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I daresay Ade is a lovely lady, that her kids are great and that their present plight sounds horrible, but I don't see why she can't return to Nigeria. OK, she had a sudden double bereavement, but we ALL have to withstand losses like that sooner or later, and as for the abusive husband - my mother had one of those (my father) so I know from first hand experience that's something you can eventually get over. It's not like she is in fear of her life if she goes back, she simply wants to stay here. Is that a good enough reason for us to support her? I'm sorry but I simply don't believe it is. I wish her well though.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 04/03/2010 13:56
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All those nasty British people clogging up the council house queue, where will it ever end, I don't know, really!
- Steve, Brentford, 04/03/2010 13:47
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why does she not go back to her country ?
- Grim Reaper, Hell, 04/03/2010 13:26
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