Tower block living: We're not slum people - BBC News

[Music] it's not a slum and in everybody that lives here we're not like slum people I used to be one of those people that used to think if I live there you know I don't want to do anything to get out of there I won't live at the very top cuz I can be the queen I'm here because I want to see my son in a better life that I never have this is my concrete castle welcome to my castle [Music] [Music] in the maker we don't measure stuff just do alright when people drive past these blocks I think they think of us like like it like slum but it's not because you've got beautiful families living in in these blocks you've got the odd drug addicts and the odd mental patients and all of that but you've got decent people living in the blocks and this hair is my room and the first thing that makes me sad in this room is the mold right there it runs all the way over there the state of the blocks are deplorable we haven't had an arm like uplift in like years I want a nice little renovation for them to make change like change the walls and stuff an upgraded kitchen I guess because we have about that much storage then see if it's untidy Prescott yeah it's a little bit untenable but like my story that makes tough to put stuff in at the moment I cannot work because I'm not from here and I'm trying to get myself sorted being that I've got two kids that depend on me and my paperwork is in the Home Office and I'm awaiting that so instead of sitting home I volunteer my time in the the school that my children attends eat it no come on for real eat some of it and I promise I take it to the park when it's sunny okay I'm happy wherever we are with my kids because it's not where you live that makes a person is how you live the best thing I like about living here is hand cream news and lots of trees yeah they call that big white mansion over there the Queen's House other stairs we're looking for rocks Amy Drive lurch you know it stuff hasn't been cleaned after a machine for cleanliness and machine for maintenance the high chair Talcott champion me in every week with me and go over anybody who has any issues of the maintenance or any repairs that haven't been done I think a lot of residents and Tarbox of a stereotyped so they're either druggies alcoholics not working have no ambition in life but actually well I'm not like that [Music] a budget a cut-down and every bit of money I have is then each spent on my bills which is top priority of course for the roof over my head and my son's head but I think this escape is so important for my sanity for Muslim to have a back garden and this is our other side of life there's blood dried blood does viewer in it's disgusting there's more evidence of drug use in there there's a needle gosh knows what else you can't expect adults let alone children to walk through and live like this it's not fair favorite favorite lesson is English and I like math like that much but I really don't like history but I love ICP as well what do you want to be though like yes it can be whatever you want to be I want to be either a farmer or a vet because I really have animals not the Queen's has over if I teach them a great way of life which I'm trying to do now I think they'll take some of what I give them and use that when they're growing up you could live in hell with the devil and you will do great if you're a great prayer in and that's it I'm going to write up using this information a official report it will be emailed over to the council and we will keep a copy or so we'll hopefully get a response last year I did surveying throughout the block and I never I didn't want to get a response when I first come here there was nothing in this flat no it was just empty light we have to sleep on the trough we have to put the mattress on the floor me and my song you know making him feel like is we making a campaign so we will get there one day you know [Music] nobody wants to be in like city one today is doing nothing I like that and that's what's killing me I want to do something I wanna I want to walk I want to contribute to the community from for me it's it's a nice place and a place I'm happy to be around and I'm happy to live in the community I am because the people that I'm working with or being around they're all good people they're wonderful people yeah see it's part of the backbone here desolate [Music] welcome everybody to our tower blocks champion meeting Wednesday's of my favorite day to work meeting up with my block champions and although you know a lot of the time it can be quite a negative meeting because we have repair issues or you know a lot of vandalism throughout the block and somehow we always manage to come out a bit more positive than we came in it's risky for us some of the times because people think that we're informers to police but we're not we can't just leave it up to the council to pick up the pieces all the police and all these other agencies don't work as a resident you have to get stuck in and do it we try to bring people together like we are all one family we are all one people in the community alright everybody thank you for coming I'm worried about the regeneration process because the end of the day the kids are have already situated in this area and the schools in this area and it's a it's a whole community that we've integrated in and we've arm like met people that will grown close to here and it's hard we don't know when we moved out where we're going to be moved to how much of a choice we get as to where we go and what property we get it's it's it's scary if I have to move from here again to another place it's not gonna affect my son's school or is it gonna affect my life in general around my son's also that's I think that's something we all have to look at let me see it let me see it one take away 3/7 oh look you have to make this seven over seven depression for me is a real thing I never knew that I could have been like depressed because I think I'm a tough person but I felt it so bad that like days that I would even clean my house because as a single mom you have to have this like backbone then so to speak you have to be like a strong role model for your kids if I let this go out just spiral back down with depression and their opinion you know and I don't want to do that I want to be able to come and be free it's an escape isn't it it's an escape from your escape from a concrete castle really it's a feeling that sometimes you just said you don't you don't be powerless like that's the most part that's gonna affect me what's light taking all the good life is gonna have you know education take it all from him that's gonna break me I'm so relieved because I've never I've never had a response back from the counselor about a rapport before ever I'm building a working relationship with Danny now so we can both work together block champions and the council anything that we find in the blocks we can report straight to Danny as block champions and he will be on it he will be on top of it and he'll get it sorted PCs are starting to pull together so thankfully we should have a result for the residents and hopefully we'll make a step forward and people can live in a better play but may my biggest drive is being a mom I've got to make it better for my son he's growing up in this and it's got to it there's got to be an improvement for the next generation let's leave an example let's make a footprint you can tell what's gonna happen tomorrow I would love to see her achieve as much as she can and the little one the same and me being the best mom in the world to them and that's it like there is nothing I can hope for anyway just to be the best mom [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: BBC News

Views: 334,308

Keywords: bbc, bbc news, news, birmingham, tower block, tower blocks, birmingham housing, birmingham tower blocks, bbc documentary, documentary bbc

Id: KJjrHDHlUQw

Length: 15min 3sec (903 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 02 2018