Petition to bring Abigail and her children back home to London!

In March 2014 Abigail approached Waltham Forest council to help find accommodation. Her previous landlord was going to evict her as she was pregnant and he didn't want a baby in his property.

Abigail was told they had found her emergency temporary accommodation, a one bedroom apartment, in Welwyn garden city.

 When Abigail arrived, it was clear the accommodation was not suitable for her and her unborn daughter.  It wasn’t a one bedroom apartment as she was told, but a small studio flat with a kitchenette, living room and bedroom all in the same room. The room had problems with damp, mould, cockroaches and dangerous faulty appliances (Abigail and her children have spent the last two winters with no working heating). Heavily pregnant when moving in, and then with a new-born baby and a pushchair soon after, the room Abigail was given was on the 3rd story, and the block of accommodation has no lifts.

 Welwyn Garden City is over 20 miles and an expensive train ride from Abigail’s family, community and place of work in Walthamstow. This means Abigail has had to spend 80% of her wages on travel, been separated from her support networks, and removed from the place she knows as home.

 This year marks 3 years since Abigail’s placement in Welwyn Garden City- when she was initially moved she was told it would be a few month, maximum. She has been doing everything she can to move back home; speaking to councillors, housing officers, and continually bidding for suitable properties closer to her loved ones. But unfortunately, her attempts have been unsuccessful, and Waltham Forest Council are unwilling to help.

 In September 2016, Abigail gave birth to her second beautiful daughter, who has recently been diagnosed as having Congenital Melanocytic Naevus (CMN), a type of birthmark. Unfortunately complications of CMN can include neurological problems in the brain or spinal cord and malignant melanoma. This means that the baby must attend regular check-ups with her doctor, and specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

 With the recent diagnosing of Abigail’s second daughter’s condition, it has become even more urgent that she is brought back to London, back to her support networks, so her family and friends can support her and her daughters. Due to the terrible living conditions, separation from loved ones, and her youngest daughters’ recent diagnosis, Abigail has been struggling to cope. Her mental health is suffering, with anxiety and depression making an already incredibly difficult time, that much harder.

 Abigail will need help with childcare, family to attend appointments with her, and loved ones around to support her in stressful and scary times. 

 This family cannot get the support they need so far away; it is time they are brought back home.

 This petition is to demand Waltham Forest Council bring Abigail and her daughters back to London, and to provide them with a safe and decent home!