What we can learn from a lonely death in social housing

For a week, BBC News has been examining the communicative of Sheila Seleoane, a 58-year-old aesculapian caput who died successful southbound London August 2019 and went undiscovered for two-and-a-half years. It's a communicative astir societal housing, isolation, bureaucracy, and community. What person we learnt?

For 12-year-old Chialuzue, uncovering retired that Sheila, who lived down the corridor from him, had lain dormant successful her level for 2 and a fractional years had a heavy impact.

"Ever since the constabulary came to sound down the doorway I've been sleeping with my Mum due to the fact that I'm excessively frightened to slumber alone," helium tells me, galore months aft Sheila's assemblage was recovered successful February 2022.

"I don't consciousness similar coming backmost home, due to the fact that I don't privation to get reminded of what happened."

He adds: "It's affected maine astatine school. Right present it's an appraisal week. Every clip I bash an assessment, I conscionable deliberation astir what happened and it brings maine down."

Sheila's neighbours successful their block, including Chialuzue's mum, Evelyn, are not activists oregon campaigners. In galore ways they privation to get connected with their lives. But they agreed to stock their stories, partially retired of a consciousness of choler astatine what had happened, but besides retired of a consciousness that Sheila's decease could archer america thing wider astir modern society.

In the weeks and months aft Sheila died, her neighbours made repeated attempts to rise the alarm astir a "smell of death" and an infestation of maggots successful their southbound London block.

For much than a year, no-one from their lodging relation Peabody visited the block, Lord's Court, successful effect to their concerns.

In October 2020, 14 months aft Sheila died, the Metropolitan Police was yet asked to bash a payment check. But a mistake by the constabulary meant Peabody was told Sheila had been seen live and well. That was not true, but it meant Peabody closed the lawsuit connected the neighbour's complaints.

It would beryllium different 16 months earlier Sheila's assemblage was recovered successful February 2022.

The Metropolitan Police apologised. But determination were besides different factors that led to her lying undiscovered for truthful long.

Social lodging 'mega-corporations'

One facet of this communicative we've explored is whether lodging associations, similar Peabody, person go excessively large, bureaucratic and removed from their tenants.

Sheila's neighbours successful Lord's Court person spoken astir feeling "neglected" and, arsenic portion of our investigation, the BBC revealed immoderate of the residents are successful discussions with lawyers astir ineligible enactment against Peabody.

Housing associations thin to disagreement their societal lodging into "patches", usually based connected a geographic area. Each "patch" has a neighbourhood manager oregon lodging serviceman whose occupation it is to cognize residents' issues and concerns, resoluteness problems and to supply support.

Charlie Trew, caput of argumentation astatine the lodging foundation Shelter, said that whereas galore lodging associations utilized to beryllium tiny and localised, they are present often "mega-corporations".

"That tin origin immoderate existent problems due to the fact that you extremity up with lodging managers that are looking aft astir 1,000 radical successful their homes," helium said. "For tenants, they're going to get little clip if they complain. They mightiness good beryllium seen arsenic a problem, oregon an issue, similar a task that they request to beryllium got escaped of, alternatively than a person."

In an interrogation connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme this week, Peabody main enforcement Ian McDermott apologised for the lodging association's failings successful this case.

He said Peabody was "fundamentally and systematically changing the mode that we operate". But helium denied determination was grounds that larger organisations supply poorer services.

"If you look astatine the truly tragic cases, they're not confined to larger associations," helium said.

He added helium was breaking Peabody into smaller spot sizes, with directors successful complaint of section areas "so that we get person to our customers".

Government 'mistakes and errors'

Another portion of this communicative is the wider authorities of societal housing.

The lodging caput Michael Gove said it "speaks to a wider civilization of neglect".

"Social lodging tenants should beryllium immoderate of the best-supported radical successful our society. This is conscionable different illustration of radical being fto down," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Mr Gove drew comparisons to the Grenfell Tower fire, erstwhile 72 radical died, and the decease of Awaab Ishak, the two-year-old lad who died successful December 2020 from a respiratory information caused by "extensive" mould successful a one-bedroom societal lodging level successful Rochdale.

"They each constituent america towards a occupation that we've had connected the past with societal lodging landlords treating their tenants with a grade of region and, successful immoderate cases, neglect. That is unacceptable."

Charlie Trew, from Shelter, agreed that lodging associations' archetypal ngo to enactment "tenants archetypal and nett second" was, successful immoderate cases, "going retired the window".

But helium said the authorities had immoderate responsibility.

"What we've seen since 2010 [when the Conservative-led conjugation came to power], is that the full magnitude of wealth from cardinal authorities to physique and present societal lodging has gone down," the charity's caput of argumentation said.

"Increasingly, you're seeing lodging associations focused connected the fiscal show of the concern alternatively than connected the tenants.

"That's wherefore we request to spot much authorities assistance funding, truthful that the lodging associations tin ore connected their tenants. Otherwise thing has to give, and unluckily that ends up being the tenants' experience."

Michael Gove said "there were immoderate mistakes and errors" by the conjugation government, and besides erstwhile Labour governments, that person contributed to societal lodging tenants not being heard.

He accepted that the authorities was incorrect to abolish the societal lodging regulator a decennary agone and to scrap the National Tenant Voice organisation aft lone astir a twelvemonth of operation. Mr Gove said the authorities was addressing some issues.

"Change has to travel and we are delivering that change," helium said, pointing to tougher regularisation of societal landlords successful the caller Social Housing Bill that is completing its last stages successful Parliament.

Estrangement and isolation

Another important origin successful this lawsuit was however isolated Sheila Seleoane was.

She had 1 half-brother who she was estranged from. No different household oregon friends came to her archetypal ceremonial successful London. When her assemblage was flown to South Africa, to the colony her parent had near for the UK successful 1954, distant household who she had ne'er met buried her successful the household crippled with a lukewarm ceremony.

Sheila worked arsenic an bureau caput truthful it is improbable she had a regular spot of enactment oregon regular colleagues.

This bid besides highlighted however small we cognize astir the fig of radical experiencing terrible isolation.

Robin Hewings, from the Campaign To End Loneliness, said countries specified arsenic Japan had done in-depth probe into isolation but the UK hadn't explored it successful a systematic way.

"Almost by definition, it's hard to find radical who are surviving precise socially isolated lives," helium said, adding it would beryllium adjuvant to cognize however galore radical are severely isolated truthful that enactment could beryllium offered.

Whether the UK carries retired specified research, oregon the government's societal lodging measure delivers connected Mr Gove's promises, it volition travel excessively precocious for neighbours specified arsenic Audrey, who inactive lives straight other Sheila's aged flat.

"This volition instrumentality with america for the remainder of our lives," she said, warring backmost tears.

"I virtually look Sheila's flat. Every time I permission my location I'm reminded of what happened. And it could person been avoided."