Does Anyone Remember Grenfell?

Twelve months ago, ours TVs, radios and newspapers were overflowing with the news of the Grenfell Tower fire. We could move a mountain in twelve months, yet very little has been done for the survivors and bereaved, of what should be considered a national disaster. So, what has been done? What has been put in the place? With children doing their homework in hotel rooms, and those in the community who grieve for their friends, having to pass the remains of the tower each day, tell me; what has been done? Answer: not nearly enough.

I cannot speak for those affected and I don’t wish to, but a pressing issue is housing. It prevents people from moving on and processing grief. We know that half of the households that need to be rehoused are still living in hotels. We know that four out of five spent Christmas day in one room, with no cooking facilities. We know that rehousing targets themselves have shifted or been missed: from Theresa May’s famous “three-week” pledge, to “by Christmas”, to “by the first anniversary”. So, what will be next? The public’s trust, that was scarce to begin with, is weakening with every failed promise.

The council says it’s buying “two homes a day” but there are quality issues: the much-publicised luxury flats weren’t completed for months, properties are being offered and then withdrawn, several environments were unedited for disabilities or outside the borough. Survivors are being made to bid against each other. Homes fall through. People are demoralised and lose hope. This is a case of citizens bereaved by the state. They have lost everything; passports, childhood photos, degree certificates, legal documents, family records, pets…

Think of those bereft; many without counselling or support. Ahmed Chellat, a survivor of the fire who lost five relatives, said “The saddest thing is coming home at night. For years you’d see the lights and think, ‘Abdul is there in his house.’ I can’t look at it [the tower]. I just can’t.” Survivors’ lives have been on pause while everyone else had heavy hearts for a few days then forgot it ever happened.

After these twelve months, which must be feeling like twelve years to those affected, isn’t it clear that more has to be done? Grenfell is a unique tragedy that deserves a national response. It is a tragedy about listening. In all that noise, we have learnt that those affected are the experts of their own lives. Grenfell has taught us that authorities should listen to those involved when they say they are not being listened to. They aren’t being listened to, even now. And I suppose, I too shall not be listened to. So what will it take?