Transcription
I was homeless, stuck on a 20th floor tower block and heard about a meeting on self-build. It was a short-life group facing the loss of their homes. We set a new co-op, Fusions Jameen, for Caribbean and African people. Chisel was allowed to access a grant to build permanent homes.
Now I have wonderful house and garden. I feel very FORTUNATE to HAVE BUILT the homes we live in. My daughter was born just before we moved in about 28 years ago and she now lives in the home that her mum built. CRAZY.
I had to go through the STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE. I was good at basic carpentry but I learnt all aspects including how to read technical drawings, interact with architects etc. the building process was simplified to maximise our participation e.g. the plumbing was push and fit with skilled welding kept to a minimum.
Also we were a co-op, I couldn’t just focus on getting timbers for my own home. We had to construct the frames together, work as a TEAM. We got lots of TRAINING. Once the structure was water tight we then focused on our individual homes. We had conflicts and if they got bad the management committee would have to step in.
We had a rota for meal preparation on the weekends. It created a genuine community. Different Ones and Ones coming together. Volunteers and friends turning up to push up our frames, EXPERIENCES LIKE THAT JUST DON’T GO AWAY. I’DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT.
It’s about creating a niche, a community I was motivated by Black people moving forward together. The Nubia Way scheme is mixed. I was SHOCKED given where we started and our original purpose. I am very proud of our achievements.
At the end of the day it’s about the LEGACY of creating a community. As you walk up you see these homes that look like PLACES FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY. With all the greenery you forget that they’re in South London.
My daughter lives in the house inherited from her self-build mother. My daughter and granddaughter can say grandad built the home we live in and that is true legacy. I say to the next generation’ Get your people together, form a group. At the start we didn’t know how but we met and built. I didn’t expect that another group would emerge from our efforts and build 13 new homes in Nubia Way.
It is up to you. You can sit back or you can do something for your family and your community. It’s amazing how what I learnt in those two to three years of building has lasted a lifetime. I had a dream, a VISION. To stick through to achieve that vision.
What remains is the creative force or energy you put into the scheme. The self-build has opened up a whole NEW WORLD for me. CHISEL seem like they’re just collecting rent, not investing in them. Whole veranda rotting away. They are a threat to our legacy.
(T8)
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