Disabled Big Issue vendor Jason has fought 21 years for an accessible home. There are millions like him

A disabled Big Issue vendor has accused his housing association landlord of failing to provide him with an accessible home and discriminating against him in a more than 10-year battle for a suitable place to live.

Amputee Jason Sallis, who sells the Big Issue magazine at London’s Moorgate tube station, is wheelchair-bound and suffers from both ischaemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Housing association Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) has been his landlord since 2014 and, during that time, he has pleaded with them to provide him with a suitable home.

Sallis was housed in a second-floor flat until 2022 which left him “crawling up the stairs” when a lift broke. He was moved to a new ground-floor property in 2022 but has found the home is not accessible for his wheelchair, limiting his mobility and causing damage to the property as he moves around it.

Sallis said a Barnet Council occupational therapist recommended that he is transferred to a more suitable property in June 2023 but, two years later, he is still living in the same place and it is causing his health to deteriorate.

NHG has admitted “service failings in complaint handling, communication and confirmation of repair completion” and last month offered Sallis an additional £1,550 in compensation.

But despite the housing association “proactively looking to make a direct offer of a property” to Sallis, he remains living in the same flat.

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“I actually came to London in 2004 and in those 21 years that I’ve been in London, I’ve never lived in a wheelchair-adapted property,” said Sallis.

“It gets to me. It’s affecting my health. My health is deteriorating a lot because of what’s going on and this just shouldn’t be happening. It’s not fair on disabled people.

“I’d like to see them admit to discriminating against me, which I believe they have been doing. I would like them to provide me with accommodation that’s suitable for my needs, which is what I’ve been recommended for since June 2023. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask for.”

A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson told Big Issue the housing association is “exhausting all options” to find Sallis a home.

The housing crisis in England means finding an affordable property that suits a person’s needs is hard enough. But finding an accessible home is an even more acute challenge.

Statistics released last week from Centre for Ageing Better said the accessibility gap in England has widened in recent years.

Back in 2009 there were just 900,000 fully accessible homes in England for a disabled population of 11.4 million people, leaving an accessibility gap of 10.5 million.

But by 2022, the most recent figures available showed that 16.1 million people were registered disabled but the number of fully accessible homes only increased to 3.3 million. That means the accessibility gap grew to 12.8 million.

It’s an experience that tallies with Sallis, telling Big Issue he is yet to fully find an accessible home, despite working with a host of local authorities since he moved to London in 2004.

His row with NHG goes back to his previous address in 2014.

But since moving to the bungalow in 2022, Sallis said a series of complaints have not been acted upon.

He has complained about a ventilation system, installed at his property to address damp and mould, making the home cold and exacerbating his health conditions.

Sallis also called out NHG for failing to implement recommendations from surveyors made in September 2023 to make the property more accessible.

The inaction from his landlord has left the Big Issue vendor feeling exasperated at the situation and wondering why he is paying £153 a week in rent for the unsuitable home.

“I think it’s very unfair that I’m having to pay rent for a property that I don’t want to live in because it’s not suitable for my needs. I feel the same about council tax,” said Sallis. “Why should I pay council tax for a property I don’t want to live in because it’s not suitable for my needs? I strongly have belief in that.

“If this is all because there’s not accessible properties for disabled people, then I think disabled people should be entitled to a discount on their rent and a discount on their council tax because they’re living in properties that are not suitable for their needs. 

“I’m having to rely on my partner to do everything for me and a lot of damage has been done to this property due to a lack of wheelchair space.”

Sallis also complained about being left with a garden that he cannot maintain, leaving it overgrown. He told Big Issue he feared it would mean that “he cannot get out of the property”.

However, the housing association rejected his complaint, arguing that the tenancy agreement stated that garden maintenance was the responsibility of the tenant, not the landlord.

In a letter seen by the Big Issue, NHG apologised to Sallis for the service he was provided.

A response to a stage two complaint from Sallis saw the housing association admit failings in communication and how his complaints were handled.

The letter read: “Improved communication and engagement from NHG, including the complaints and housing teams, has not been what it should be for you and your partner and needs improvement.

“Furthermore, it is the view of this review that optimal communication would have gone a long way to mitigating your necessity to utilise the complaints process along with considering legal proceedings.”

The review, however, rejected Sallis’ complaints about reasonable adjustments to his home.

It found that NHG acted in “good faith” when working with Barnet Council to offer him the property and assess his needs.

“However, unfortunately and despite great effort and cost from NHG and the local authority, this has not fully proven to be the case,” the letter added.

Sallis requires a ground-floor, adapted property. Notting Hill Genesis told Big Issue that “unfortunately, such homes are in short supply”.

In a statement provided to the Big Issue, a Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said: “We were informed by the council’s occupational therapy team that his current home is no longer suitable for Jason and his partner. We are looking at all options to find them something that suits their needs, including sheltered accommodation, but fully accessible ground floor homes for two wheelchair users are hard to come by.

“We understand Jason’s frustration and will continue to focus our efforts on finding them the right home as soon as possible. We are exhausting all options, while Jason is also still able to bid for properties via the Locata housing search service. We will remain in close contact with Jason and keep him fully updated.”

A spokesperson for Barnet Homes – which manages 13,000 council homes on behalf of Barnet Council – said: “Barnet Homes has not had any contact from Mr Sallis since March 2022. If Mr Sallis’ current accommodation is unsuitable, we encourage him to open a homeless application with us and we will support him within our statutory requirements.”

The stress of his housing situation and the impact of the pandemic saw Sallis off his London pitch where he sells the magazine, he admitted.

“I took an extended break because of my health issues and my housing issues. Because of what’s been going on, I stayed away, and I’ve only been back selling the Big Issues since last year,” said Sallis.

“I owe so much to the Big Issue. It’s kept me sane having something to do while being in this type of situation. It’s been a godsend.”

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