Hi my name is Harriet and I am fundraising for Margaret. The below is a statement from her.

My name is Margaret. I am a 63-year old Nigerian woman. My landlord is a local authority who has obtained possession order against me for rent arrears. The eviction date is set for 9th May 2025 which will make me homeless.

I married my late husband who was a British citizen in March 2011. We moved in together after our marriage and started living in my current home in 2021 with my late husband who was named on the tenancy agreement. I have been unable to work in the UK as the Home Office has refused to grant me a spouse visa since 2012. I have made several applications and provided them with all documents requested (that I was able to obtain) but they refused my visa every single time. This resulted in me being unable to work and having to rely on my late husband via his pension and benefits which put a strain on our finances. This whole process only served to sink me into a depressive state and has affected my mental health greatly. I am a hard worker as an experienced teacher with a post graduate degree in education and being unable to work has been very hard to cope with as I wanted to contribute to society and financially support my husband. I have had breast cancer and have developed anxiety and depression due to my unresolved immigration status and imminent homelessness, which has affected my ability to go outside as doing so gives me panic attacks.

My husband and I lived together and I became his carer in his final years. My husband passed away 2 days after our 10th wedding anniversary in March 2021. The local authority previously tried to evict me from the flat following my husband’s death but the court made an order last year for me to remain at the property on the basis that I had a right of succession to the tenancy which was in my late husband’s name. We have no children together and I do not have any children, therefore, I was left alone to continue this journey by myself. I am grateful for the years we spent together and for being married to such an amazing man and I count this as a blessing especially as he helped me through my breast cancer journey.

Before my husband passed away, we sometimes relied on my two brothers for financial support. My older brother who provided me and my late husband with financial support died suddenly in February 2021 - 1 month before my husband passed away. In August 2021 my sister-in-law passed away and a few months later in January 2022, her husband (my brother) also passed away. It has been difficult to process the grief of losing my entire support system all within a year whilst also having to deal with the council trying to evict me.

The only income I have been provided with is £50 per week from my late husband’s pension and £45 per week from the council. I am grateful for the above income but it is not enough to live on or to pay the rent which is due on the property which is why I am in arrears.

I am still grieving the loss of my husband and my siblings and the thought of being evicted on top of all of this is too much to bear especially at my age. My home is the only thing I have to remember my husband and I cannot bear to leave the property as I would lose the only thing I have that reminds me of him as I have nowhere to go.

I need to raise over £25,000 (part of which is my husband’s rent arrears due to the delay in processing his housing benefit) to clear the arrears in order to remain in my home. It is unfortunate that I am now entering my pension age and facing homelessness.

Despite all that I have gone through I have spent many years engaging in various community based services and activities with my church to provide help and support to others. It has warmed my heart over the years to be able to help others as I believe that helping people is the right thing to do.

I currently have an application at the Home Office and I await a decision but I need a roof over my head while waiting for them to decide my fate (which ultimately is in the hands of God).

Please find it in your heart to give something no matter how small to help prevent me from being homeless. I will be most grateful for any financial assistance to pay the rent arrears to enable me have a roof over my head while I continue with my battle to be granted leave to remain in the UK.