In 2020 Dylon, his partner Carina and their baby daughter Dylasia who was only a few months old at the time fled Trinadad. Dylon had a small holding and worked hard as a taxi driver also and having a car in this area made him an immediate target for the gang that moved in. They wanted money each week to ‘keep him safe’. He refused them time and time again as Dylon said that he was working hard to provide his child with the educational opportunities himself and Carina had not been lucky enough to avail of.
One day they were in the car about to leave the house when trucks came down the driveway and opened fire. The gang. Dylon was shot through the thigh, the top of his thumb was blown off and he was shot at close range in the head. Luckily for him, he survived and whilst recovering in hospital Carina went to stay with family. And a good job too as the gang came back and shot up the house that Dylon, his family and community had built leaving not a square foot without a bullet hole. Had they been there Carina and baby Dylasia would most certainly have died.
They went underground on Dylon’s release from hospital, selling what they could quietly and without looking at what England’s refugee policies were they booked one way tickets and fled.
Dylon had almost £1,000 remaining from the sale of their belongings and felt confident that at least he would be able to feed his family when he landed in England. This however was not the case. On arrival at the airport the family was split up for almost 48 hours not knowing where the other was and if they were ok – or even still in England! They were then told that there would be no government help for them at all as they had ‘savings’ and they were to use that up before applying for refuge. Needless to say £1,000 doesn’t go far when you are living out of a small room in a large chain hotel! For four and a half years this wonderful family were moved around in various types of housing mainly in the Luton area. They put down roots, as best as they could, made friends and started to build a life being donated possessions and practical items. Then suddenly they were moved with almost no warning and placed in the Home Office Building here in Faringdon. Whilst certainly not ideal they finally had a kitchen and a separate bedroom. They also now had a little boy Dylanni and their daughter Dylasia was able to start at the local primary school.
Don’t get me wrong – life was tough, very tough, but they had a roof, met TPHP and were starting to find their feet. This family gave back wherever they could offering help to TPHP for lifting, shifting, manning stalls, anything we asked. Dylon himself was volunteering at a charity in East Oxfordshire but with just £45 per week to live on, getting the bus to volunteer was happening less and less. We watched the family go through the waiting period, the frustration of Dylon not being able to work and provide for his family – instead living on the goodwill of others – and helped with The Hearth project wherever we could. Providing clothing, toys, furniture, kitchen equipment – anything that would make them feel more human and comfortable.
Early 2025 saw Sarah, our Project Manager, take Dylon to Swindon Station and pay for a return ticket to Bristol where he had an official hearing to apply for a National Insurance Number from the Government. The ticket was over £30 and if he had paid for it then they would have had £15 to live on for 7 days – just not practical or realistic at all!
He was awarded a temporary NI number however it doesn’t work the way a normal NI number does and it is the employers responsibility to do all the paperwork behind it. It goes without saying that he was unsuccessful in finding someone to employ him with only that which saw more frustration and depression.
A month later and we cried and celebrated with the family as they received a solicitors letter from the pro-bono solicitor in Luton who had been working on their behalf to say that they had right to remain. The joy and relief that they would not be forced to return to Trinadad and almost certain death was tangible. Even better they received their NI numbers and Dylon immediately went out and secured a job. He could now start to take care of his family. Sarah helped source and bought him appropriate work wear and footwear so he could start his job for which he was very grateful. It was even more poignant as every time Dylon rang home he, without fail, received news that a family member, a friend or a neighbour had been killed by the very same gang that had tried to take his life. Even now other than those close to the family no one knows where he is. Many still believe that he is hiding in Trinadad – and the reason for this? The gang will go after his immediate family if they knew he had got away. No social media presence, no letters or cards, just the odd phone call with those they love.
Sadly the exhilaration of receiving right to remain was absurdly short lived. Two days after the first letter from the Home Office they received another letter giving official notification to say that they had 28 days in which to vacate the property! They tried to appeal to the HO Housing Officer for an extension to enable them to find somewhere to live but were told that if they were still in the property on day 29 then the bailiffs would enter. This was absolutely terrifying for them. They spent the first 10 days trying to come up with a solution themselves but finally turned to Sarah for help. With their permission Sarah was permitted to talk to all the bodies involved and push for a resolution. This was sadly unsuccessful in the main as Sarah was told by the County Council Housing Department that the family needed to pack a bag and ‘sit on the council steps’ and they would be appropriately housed when something was available! When questioned about their furniture and other possessions it was advised that they leave them in the flat for the next person. She was informed that as a family they were not anywhere near priority as even though they had small children the homeless on the streets took priority. Understandably, the impact on Dylon and Carina was enormous. Dylon stopped sleeping and eating yet was still doing a physical job every day and they were both struggling with their mental health. Trying to keep upbeat and positive in front of the children who were not aware of their precarious position or that their lives were to change hugely once again, whilst everything was so unsure. Private rental, even if they could afford it, was out of the question as Dylon had not been working long enough to provide the three months pay slips required to private rent – there was just no way out. Desperately hard for a man who just wanted to work and provide for his family and put back into the country and not take from it.
During this time Sarah emailed her local Council/District Councillor and MP outlining the family history and situation and asking for guidance and help. The Councillor returned with a short email to say that the situation appeared to being dealt with appropriately as per policy however Charlie Maynard, MP, responded to say he didn’t know enough about the situation but he would do what he could to find out more. Attached are the email sent to Charlie, his response and the final email received from him.
Finally Sarah managed to get hold of a member of the housing team who said that in instances such as these they were 99% likely to be housed temporarily in a Travel Lodge – where? They couldn’t say but at least it was a roof over their heads and that of their children. Sarah then spoke to a local storage company who agreed to let her lease a unit at a reduced cost for the family to store their belongings. The thought of them loosing almost everything they had built up over the last 5 years was too much! A Trustee of TPHP and Sarah ferried everything from their flat to the storage unit and gave them a padlock and key, showed them how to access it and reassured them that Sarah would continue to pay for the unit for as long as they needed. It was the very least Sarah could do. She then moved them into the local travel lodge with a few bags and some long life food. They only had access to a kettle in this room as you are not allowed a toaster, slow cooker etc so once again they were back to eating processed ready made food items. For those from countries such as Trinadad food and cooking is a language in itself. They cook wonderful meals from scratch with whatever we can give them from our fridges and cupboards at The Hearth and to take that away is very hard. In fact Dylon and Carina confessed that they almost went back to Trinadad 6 months after entering the country and living in one room with no cooking facilities. As Dylon said the depression and desperation of not recognising the food and not being able to cook was almost too much – despite the knowledge that they would almost certainly not survive if they did return! That is how much it means to them. In addition there are no washing facilities for clothes, no easy way to dry anything washed in the bathroom sink and it is unsurprising that these individuals are desperately unhappy, albeit safe from danger, and often experiencing severe mental health issues.
On a lighter note after spending time in the Travel Lodge and then being moved to the half way house in Faringdon which is a room with a kitchenette in and much better for them they were offered a small house in Didcot and are now settled and making it their own! Additionally Dylon has passed his UK driving test and has managed to get a car which makes life so much easier for them all!
Life though shouldn’t have been that hard for so long. The pure fear that they would be homeless in 30 days was something we never want to see again but sadly, with 33 flats in the Home Office Building in Faringdon, it is something we are seeing more and more regularly.
Questioning the process did result in a trial period extension to 56 days from the original one month however this is now coming to an end and I am once again, back at the MP’s to try and get it increased to 90 days to allow those that want too and are able to private rent.
Dylon, Carina, Dylasia and Dylanni’s story has come to a safe conclusion but for many that is not the case. They return into the system and hop from one travel lodge to another every 60 days with no certainty, no ‘home’ and no real possessions.
