October 30, 2022

THIS WEEK IN HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

In the UK, housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa raises awareness for unlivable housing conditions 

Sources: Big Issue, The Guardian, Channel 4, Northeastern University, The New York Times

In the United Kingdom, student and housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa (@kwajohousing) has taken on neglect and disrepair in the country’s housing sector.

His documentary, Help! My Home Is Disgusting, available on Channel 4, exposes the conditions of homes and flats in the UK that simultaneously reveals a failed system for repairs and proper upkeep. 

After experiencing poor living conditions firsthand, including his ailing father having to live in a flat infested with pests before his death, Tweneboa complained to his landlord for more than a year to no avail before turning to activism. 

Non-liveable housing conditions are also widespread. Big Issue reported that, in Scotland, ‘19 percent of all dwellings are in a state of urgent disrepair’, while in Wales, ‘almost 80 percent of Welsh landlords are dealing with disrepair claims’. The Guardian similarly found that the Housing Ombudsman report on mould in ‘socially rented properties’ revealed ‘maladministration among 56% of the 142 landlords they investigated over a two-year period’. 

The neglect of residential building safety has also resulted in fatal incidents, such as the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The fire, which started from a broken refrigerator, spread quickly due to flammable cladding in the building that is now banned. Residents of the building had even raised concerns over exposed gas pipes beforehand to no avail. 

Tweneboa’s documentary demonstrates that the conditions of housing in the UK, especially social housing, still has a long way to go to ensure safe and affordable housing conditions for all. ‘We made it clear what we need and deserve as tenants,'' Tweneboa told Big Issue, ‘It’s what we expect of our politicians and the election will be round before we know it. Housing is going to be a big priority at the election. I’m going to do absolutely everything to make sure that is the case.