'Our Home, Our Rights!': Brighter Futures’ housing manifesto launch
We, Brighter Futures, are a group of young people aged 18 to 30 years old who have migrated to the UK and who come together, build a family in London and speak up for the rights of young people like us. We are fighters for justice and change. We want to transform the way the UK sees young migrant people and challenge the hostile environment’s effects on our lives. On 20th June 2023, we launched our manifesto for a fairer housing future for young people who have migrated to the UK, with an evening of poetry, art and powerful conversations.
Let me tell you a story of a young Brighter Future member’s search for safety and stability. This is a story of fear and a journey in a system that pushes you towards destitution, from one crisis to the next. It is a story of resilience and survival. This is our story. And it goes...
Throughout my years in the UK, I have lived in many places, uprooted from a place that I knew into situations I had to survive. I have lived in a small room, with two single beds for myself and another young person. With one small window and very little space, it felt like there was no room to breathe. I would lie there all night feeling my body tense and shiver every time I heard them turn over or go to the toilet. She was a stranger to me, yet we were forced to sleep opposite each other. We couldn’t even speak the same language, the only thing we shared was our sadness, it would pass from one to the other, I couldn’t even cry alone.
I have lived in hotels with rooms with no windows, where we were monitored as if we were in detention centres. There are no kitchens, fridges or microwaves. I have lived in accommodation which would be overrun with mould. I would spend evening imagining the mould spreading across the wall, crawling across my skin. The smell would make me sick. I would imagine it spreading into my lungs. When the electricity would go out, I was left calling for help with no response or repairs, weeks at a time.
I would watch young people leave, and lose sleep scared that I would be next. My heart would beat so hard in my chest every time I saw a letter fall through the letter box or hear my phone ring with an unknown number. I would take a deep breath and answer the phone waiting for the news that my life would be thrown into complete chaos all over again. One time, the Home Office wanted me to move to Manchester. How could I move to Manchester? I couldn’t even point it out on a map. I only lived in London; I had never stepped a foot outside London since I moved to the UK. It was all I ever knew and the only family I had. Here I was again without any choice, scared for the future. How was I going to get a new doctor? I would have to tell my story all over again and fight for the right support, again. How was I going to finish college? There would be even more disruptions to my education!
I’m telling you all this because I want you to know what we go through. It’s time for change.
We believe that change within the asylum accommodation provision in the UK is possible and necessary.
We believe that:
Everyone has the right to privacy and should not be forced to share a room.
Everyone should have a safe and clean home, with access to a working kitchen.
Young migrant people should not be forced to move from one accommodation to the next and away from their support network.
Read our manifesto and poetry collection through the images below.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Teresa Hare-Duke, Queen Mary University’s Centre for Public Engagement, Kazzum Arts and Praxis for their ongoing support to both Brighter Futures and our campaign. We would also like to thank Arji, representatives from Migrant’s Organise and Alex who is part of the Refugees at Home network, for joining our panel. Finally, we’d like to thank the Museum of the Home for hosting our event.