Refer to
Refer to
| We have received your application for criminal injuries compensation Do not reply to this email. Your reference number is 23\733651. What happens next? We will: ask the police for evidenceask for medical information if requiredask you for more information if we need itmake a decisionsend our decision letter by post We aim to make a decision within 12 months, but it can take longer. We may have to wait until there’s enough information about your injuries and recovery. Read our Customer Charter at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/criminal-injuries-compensation-authority/about-our-services. Changes and updates to information in your application If any information in your application changes, you need to contact us immediately to let us know. This may include where: your contact or personal details changeyou stop using or change representativeyou receive or are entitled to compensation or money from another source in relation to the incidentyou have new information to add to your applicationinformation you provided previously has changed You should tell us about any changes and updates using the Contacting CICA page on our website at https://contact-the-cica.form.service.justice.gov.uk/. Contacting us We will now carry out necessary initial enquiries. Unless you’ve anything new to add or update in the application, we kindly ask that you wait for us to contact you. Different ways you can contact CICA Telephone: 0300 003 3601 Outside the UK: +44 (0) 203 684 2517 Relay UK: https://www.relayuk.bt.com: (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone) 18001 0300 003 3601 Opening times Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8.30am to 5pm Wednesday: 8.30am to 3pm Find out about call charges at https://www.gov.uk/call-charges. We will not always send an acknowledgement if you: email uswrite to ussend us documents Help us improve this service If you have not done so already, you can complete a short survey to help us improve this service. It does not ask you for any details about your case and has no effect on your application. Complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Privatebetafeedback | ||
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Dear Ms Myers
It is important that you tell us precisely what you need us to investigate, otherwise it can be difficult for us to understand what has gone wrong, and what matters to you.
We should not read the subject access response and try to judge for ourselves, so we await your further information.
David Nelson
Investigator, Social Care Complaints
Southwark Council
Customer Resolutions Team
FREEPOST, RTJL-XAZG-ZRTU
2nd Floor, Hub B. 160 Tooley Street
PO Box 64529
London
SE1P 5LX
www.southwark.gov.uk/complaints
Direct: 0207 525 4477
Duty: 0207 525 3977
Southwark Council values: Treating residents as if they were a valued member of your own family | Being open, honest and accountable | Spending money as if it was your own | Working for everyone to realise their own potential | Making Southwark a place to be proud of | Always work to make Southwark more equal and just | Stand against all forms of discrimination and racism |
From: Mervelee Myers <ratty.nembhard1956@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 4:05 PM
To: Complaints – Social Care and Education <Complaints-SocialCareandEducation@southwark.gov.uk>
Cc: Gmail <ratty.nembhard1956@gmail.com>; rattynem@btinternet.com
Subject: RE: Your contact with Social Care Complaints team
Stop acting like the ignorant person who is party to the discrimination. Go read the SAR sent to me.
Regards
Mervelee
Sent from Mail for Windows
From: Complaints – Social Care and Education
Sent: 30 October 2023 15:53
To: Mervelee Myers
Subject: RE: Your contact with Social Care Complaints team
Dear Ms Myers,
Thank you for your prompt response.
My apologies but in order to raise a complaint I need to understand what are you not satisfied with.
You mentioned that Southwark Council has defamed your name, could you share any examples of this and any evidence that you have.
In your email you also mention SEND Team.
Could you let me know how this Team is involved and what are your concerns about them?
Unfortunately we would not be able to look into any concerns in relation to other organisations.
Kind regards,
Agne Konseviciute
Assistant Investigator, Social Care Complaints
Southwark Council
Customer Resolutions Team
FREEPOST, RTJL-XAZG-ZRTU
2nd Floor, Hub B. 160 Tooley Street
PO Box 64529
London
SE1P 5LX
www.southwark.gov.uk/complaints
Direct: 0207 525 5662
Duty: 0207 525 3977
Southwark Council values: Treating residents as if they were a valued member of your own family | Being open, honest and accountable | Spending money as if it was your own | Working for everyone to realise their own potential | Making Southwark a place to be proud of | Always work to make Southwark more equal and and just | Stand against all forms of discrimination and racism
From: Mervelee Myers <ratty.nembhard1956@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2023 10:49 AM
To: Complaints – Social Care and Education <Complaints-SocialCareandEducation@southwark.gov.uk>; Mervelee Myers <ratty.nembhard1956@gmail.com>; Mervelee Myers <rattynem@btinternet.com>; Nigel.W.Pearce@met.police.uk; info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk; Border Crossings <info@bordercrossings.org.uk>; Tony Cealy <tctonycealy@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Your contact with Social Care Complaints team
To Whom it May Concern
Mervelee Myers make reference to the Subject Access Request response from Southwark Council. Also Application for Criminal Injuries Compensation reference number 23/733651.
Since Southwark Council DEFAMED my name and that of my HUSBAND make reference to the SAR for the dates and names of those involved from Southwark SEND Section joined in the DISCRIMINATION at Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
More information can be found at https://fight4justiceadvocacy.business.site and social media where the SAR information was taken from.
Regards
Mervelee Myers
Sent from Mail for Windows
From: Complaints – Social Care and Education
Sent: 24 October 2023 14:13
To: Ratty.Nembhard1956@gmail.com
Subject: Your contact with Social Care Complaints team
Dear Mrs Myers
Thank you for taking the time and filling our complaints form.
You noted that :
‘Those involved in the Systemic Discrimination leading to Munchausen by Proxy and
PTSD of Mervelee Myers and Arnold Tomlinson to be disciplined.’
Could you please give me more information of the above, dates, names that I could use in order to determine the timeline of these events and the Teams responsible?
I will then be able to look into our systems and proceed with the formal complaint.
Kind regards,
Agne Konseviciute
Assistant Investigator, Social Care Complaints
Southwark Council
Customer Resolutions Team
FREEPOST, RTJL-XAZG-ZRTU
2nd Floor, Hub B. 160 Tooley Street
PO Box 64529
London
SE1P 5LX
www.southwark.gov.uk/complaints
Direct: 0207 525 5662
Duty: 0207 525 3977
Southwark Council values: Treating residents as if they were a valued member of your own family | Being open, honest and accountable | Spending money as if it was your own | Working for everyone to realise their own potential | Making Southwark a place to be proud of | Always work to make Southwark more equal and and just | Stand against all forms of discrimination and racism
The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this in error please notify us immediately.
If you are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may be unlawful.
Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.
The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this in error please notify us immediately.
If you are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may be unlawful.
Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.
The email you received and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be covered by legal and/or professional privilege and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this in error please notify us immediately.
If you are not the intended recipient of the email or the person responsible for delivering it to them you may not copy it, forward it or otherwise use it for any purpose or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so may be unlawful.
Where opinions are expressed in the email they are not necessarily those of Southwark Council and Southwark Council is not responsible for any changes made to the message after it has been sent.
Dear Conservatives Party
I apologise for contacting you and I hope you’re able to help us with our case that is being ignored by Lewisham council and Lewisham Labour. I wasn’t aware that Lewisham had local Conservatives Party and if I had known, I would have made contact much sooner.
I am a disabled mum to my 21 year old son living in Deptford, having been rehoused through Lewisham council due to domestic abuse, hate crime and bullying.
We live in a housing association property on Gosterwood street with our landlord being a specialist domestic abuse housing association.
We and our neighbours have had many issues since 2012 which Lewisham council have ignored over the years, leading to many women, men, children and young people going through serious and significant trauma and suffering as a result of our landlord’s negligence and prejudice.
There is a very serious problem with Lewisham council failing their basic duty of care while enabling housing associations like our landlord Housing for Women to abuse their power while causing serious harm, risks and damage to tenants.
We have found it impossible as a small community of less than 35 households living here to get any help, support, intervention and safety from the various forms of discrimination, deprivation and inequalities created and caused by our landlord with lots of gatekeeping to prevent tenants from receiving the help, support and care needed.
Would it be possible for you to visit me and my son please as Lewisham council continue ignoring our complaint which has resulted in my landlord’s direct unlawful discrimination and victimisation?
Thank you for your time.
Kind regards
H Presley
Begin forwarded message:
From: H P <hpresley78@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: 27 October 2023 at 14:46:39 BST
To: advice@lgo.org.uk
Cc: Kingfisher <lewccg.kingfisher@nhs.net>, RBlakeway@housing-ombudsman.org.uk, michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk, KwajoHousing@gmail.com, embassy.london@mfa.gov.tr
Subject: Lewisham Council Complaint
Dear LGSO
I am contacting you for help due to Lewisham council failing to treat us fairly with respect and failing to intervene to help and support us with the unlawful discrimination and victimisation against me and my son which is a result of my complaints made to the Housing Ombudsman, ICO and LBL and my refusal to agree to my landlord’s NDA.
The council’s decision to ignore us following my complaint sent to the Mayor of Lewisham on 19 May 2022, our living situation and other tenants impacted in similar circumstances has had and continues to have a detrimental impact on both mine and my son’s personal safety, mental health and well-being which has often left me suicidal due to the significant amount of inequalities, gatekeeping and barriers as a result of the structural racism and discrimination accumulated over the years leading to our health and wellbeing worsening. As a result, my landlord has retaliated in an aggressive and heavy handed manner to cause us more harm and inequalities by further victimising, excluding and refusing services to us as punishment which has resulted in us being exploited, threatened, harassed and discriminated against which is now leading to homelessness with my landlord’s retaliatory eviction due to my complaints as my landlord continues to provide false and inaccurate claims about access to our home. We have not refused access for repairs and my landlord is the one refusing to provide services and repairs as a result of my request for reasonable adjustments which continues to be refused despite extensive evidence proving decanting not being required for repairs as well as us waiting daily from 8am for repairs to begin.
Despite Lewisham council officers and elected representatives having regular meetings with our landlord regarding our case, both myself and son have been excluded from these meetings as well as decisions being made without our consent and knowledge on what is best for them while ignoring, disregarding, minimising and invalidating our needs, what’s best for us and our lived experiences.
The long history of cultural incompetence, structural racism, inequalities, safeguarding failures, disrespect, oppression, dehumanising, demoralising, degrading exclusion, discrimination and victimisation has lead to additional disadvantages and challenges due to obstacles and gatekeeping with us being treated less favourably and being punished instead with my mental health conditions being weaponised against me.
As a result of my landlord’s discrimination and victimisation which was reported to the police, I was advised to refer my complaint to your service as a result of the council’s failings in their duty of care.
Please note that I referred my previous complaint to your service which is for the complaint dated 19 May 2022.
The second complaint made to LBL was made on 4 October 2023 which I’ve only received acknowledgment for.
I first reported and complained to LBL in May 2012, two months after moving in to our home. Following that complaint in 2012, officers from the council visited our home.
In 2018 council officers visited our home for disrepairs which today are still outstanding. My complaint was closed despite my landlord’s non compliance, negligence and discrimination. I have since been relying on my MP due to the fact it was the only way my landlord would respond.
Please help because I genuinely do not know how much more my health can take as my health is not improving and due to my health deteriorating I’ve not left our home for nearly two years resulting in me being unable to keep up with hospital appointments. This has resulted in me being discharged and not getting the treatment and health care I need. I cannot take care of my health or engage in healthcare due to my mental health crisis being unpredictable as it’s my landlord’s actions causing my mental health crisis to worsen.
As a result of the council enabling and defending my landlord’s unlawful victimisation and failing to safeguard us from the abuse, discrimination and exclusion I have no trust in the council as they have not done anything to eliminate discrimination and protect us from the harm and damages caused to me, my son and other tenants who have equally suffered or worse than us and I believe they will continue to do everything they can for my health to worsen like they have been doing over the years by violating and abusing our rights and dignity.
They have done many things to make me suicidal and when I’ve spoken out about it they have deflected by denying accountability and responsibility for their deliberate failings.
If a physical health conditions does not kill me then my mental health will eventually kill me if these inequalities, discrimination and victimisation continues being ignored and enabled by those with a duty of care.
Thank you.
Kind regards
H Presley
From: H P <hpresley78@hotmail.co.uk>
Date: 4 October 2023 at 14:34:46 BST
To: pshe@lewisham.gov.uk
Subject: Formal Complaint
Dear Lewisham Council
I am writing to complain about your refusal to help me with being victimised and discriminated against by your partner landlord H4W housing association, and how your failures have enabled my landlord to abuse their power using threats and financial abuse to coerce and control me and our housing situation.
I have been a tenant of H4W housing association for over 11 years. During that time, I have experienced a number of issues with my landlord, including:
- Discrimination and victimisation
- Failures to carry out essential repairs
- Coercion and control
- Threats to make me and my son homeless
- Financial abuse, such as refusing to carry out repairs, charging me excessive fees, criminal injunction
- Gatekeeping, which has prevented me and my son from receiving the help and support we need from other organisations.
I have reported these issues to H4W housing association on numerous occasions including to the Housing Ombudsman, MP Vicky Foxcroft, Cllr Paul Bell and Cllr Will Cooper. In fact, they have often made the situation worse by siding with H4W.
These issues are known to Lewisham Council, but you have failed to take any action. Your failure to protect me and my son has enabled H4W to continue abusing their power and controlling our housing situation.
I have NOT refused access for repairs. In fact, I have repeatedly requested repairs, but H4W have failed to act on them by using various contractors to discriminate against us.
This gatekeeping is preventing me and my son from receiving the help and support we need.
Section 184, Housing Act 1996 says if you have reason to believe I may be homeless or threatened with homelessness you must make inquiries into my situation.
Thank you.
Kind regards
H Presley
From: “Smith, Diane” <Diane.Smith@lewisham.gov.uk>
Date: 1 July 2022 at 13:24:58 BST
Subject: RE: Housing for Women Housing Association
Dear Hulya
Thank you for your e-mail.
I have followed up your original e-mail and have asked for an update.
The relevant officer should be in contact with you shortly.
Kind regards
Diane
Diane Smith (her/she)
Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Mayor’s Office
Lewisham Council
020 8314 8851
—–Original Message—–
From: H P [mailto:hpresley78@hotmail.co.uk]
Sent: 01 July 2022 12:12
To: Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham
Subject: Re: Housing for Women Housing Association
Dear Diane
Thank you for your email.
I am contacting you for an update as I have not heard back since your email and to ask which officer my case has been passed to. Many thanks.
Kind regards
Hulya
On 20 May 2022, at 12:11, Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham <Damien.Egan@lewisham.gov.uk> wrote:
Dear Hulya
Thank you for your e-mail to Damien Egan, the Mayor. Dated 19th May 2022.
Please accept this as an acknowledgement of your e-mail.
I have passed your e-mail onto the relevant officer who will be in contact soon.
Kind regards
Diane
Diane Smith (her/she)
Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Mayor’s Office
Lewisham Council
—–Original Message—–
From: H P [mailto:hpresley78@hotmail.co.uk]
Sent: 19 May 2022 16:43
To: Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham
Cc: Dacres, Cllr Brenda
Subject: Housing for Women Housing Association
Dear Mr Egan
I am a tenant of H4W, having been nominated by LBL for my home in 2011. You are aware of me as I have tagged you on social media posts about the ongoing problems my landlord H4W continue to cause myself and son.
It’s very disappointing that to date, LBL continues to ignore H4W tenants which your council has an agreement with. I have followed all the correct procedures with raising concerns, complaints, documenting and collecting evidence, reported issues to the council, Environmental Health, MP, councillors, ombudsman to name a few and despite all the evidence and so many other cases across Lewisham, I would like to know why the council have yet to acknowledge the misery and suffering H4W are inflicting on tenants? We live in Lewisham so why are we excluded and not getting the help and support from LBL the same way council and private rented tenants do? H4W continue to repeatedly break the Homes Act, Landlord and Tenant Act and the Environmental Protection Act and breach many regulations and to date, LBL have taken no action and left us to deal with years of discrimination, bullying and malpractice from H4W.
The council have a duty of care yet H4W tenants are excluded when it comes to the council using the powers they have to take action against rogue landlords. How is this acceptable in 2022, the borough you are so proud of when it comes to equality and diversity?
LBL must take accountability and responsibility for failing to intervene and take action to protect tenants and prevent more tenants having to go through the hardships from being a H4W tenant and for allowing H4W to continue to abuse their powers. Is there no such thing as intervention and prevention at LBL? When you end up living in a H4W property in Lewisham on a permanent basis, your quality of life reduces if you are a BAME vulnerable and disabled person. There is clear evidence of race, disability and gender discrimination from H4W yet your council has never taken action and to this day H4W continue discriminating, bullying, punishing and putting tenants at risk and LBL are yet to intervene. Why? Where is the council’s duty of care?
My neighbour Barbara moved here during the pandemic. I helped her when I could, sometimes Barbara needed help due to medical needs. There were a few occasions when ambulance or medical staff couldn’t access Barbara’s home due to the outside emergency key box not opening. Despite H4W being made aware of the issue, H4W failed to repair it fully causing delays in accessing Barbara’s home in an emergency. On another occasion Barbara had another fall and LFB had to come out and access her flat with a ladder to the balcony. Her distress could and should have been prevented yet H4W failed to repair the box, putting Barbara at risk.
The FRA states that our building is general needs and not for disabled people. If there had been a fire here, Barbara would not have been able to evacuate by herself. Due to the property not being suitable for Barbara’s needs, which H4W knew it wasn’t prior to offering the transfer, Barbara’s family managed to find a suitable property for Barbara. She was so happy to move from here.
Barbara passed away and she will be laid to rest this week. I will never forget the distress Barbara went through when she had a fall and ambulance staff couldn’t access her home due to H4W’s negligence in not repairing the spare key box outside. Barbara’s quality of life was already significantly reduced due to her disability. And yet she was rehoused here, in an unsafe building, full of all the issues you and everyone else is aware of and she couldn’t even enjoy, be happy or be safe in her home while she lived here due to H4W’s failings in being a responsible and decent landlord.
How many H4W tenants have died in Lewisham and how many of those who passed away had problems with their housing, with repairs, complaints, staff, ASB, rehousing and everything else that tenants report and have difficulties with? How many more deaths will it take for the council to recognise that tenants are being caused so much poor and ill health due to their living conditions and actions by H4W?
If H4W were a private landlord, they would never be allowed to do the things they’ve done to me, my son and neighbours so why is it ok for H4W to do it but not a private landlord?
If the CEO of H4W were to be a male, he would be described as misogynistic and it would be a national scandal that a CEO repeatedly and purposely bullies and discriminates vulnerable, disabled, survivors and victims of abuse as well as putting people at direct risk of harm but also risk everyone else’s safety at the same time. Do you know how many Lewisham tenants of H4W have become a victim of crime? And yet women and their families are still being rehoused with H4W in Lewisham with tenants completely unaware of all the issues and risks.
The way your council have treated me and my son and the way LBL have ignored our cases is unacceptable and utterly disgraceful Mr Egan. If it wasn’t for the council, we wouldn’t be living here. Over ten years of our life wasted, suffering because of H4W and your council’s refusal to help us. Had the council intervened and helped then I would not be having to now go through a very expensive and stressful legal disrepair case to get repairs done. I was refused eligibility to be put on the council housing register by LBL despite having evidence our home was causing us ill health plus confirmation from H4W that our home smelt of toxic waste because of our home being directly above the communal bin room. On what grounds did the council decide to refuse us social housing within Lewisham? If the council had accepted our housing then we would not be living here now. Your council knowingly made the decision to discriminate us by refusing us rehousing and allowed H4W to abuse us over the years.
What more evidence does the council need? It’s clear H4W have no intention whatsoever to be a decent landlord and provide a decent home for us. Some repairs go back over seven years and today I’m still waiting for those repairs to be carried out. No tenant should have to wait years to get repairs done and no tenant should be put at additional risk due to disrepairs and crime. In the ten years we’ve lived here only twice has the council ever visited us. What happened to my previous cases with LBL regarding H4W and how much longer will your council keep ignoring us?
Regards
Hulya Presley
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Mervelee Advocacy 