A trafficking survivor who faced losing his home and job due to an online error by the UK Home Office has had his eviction notice overturned and his right to work reinstated.
Lukasz* was trafficked to the UK in 2014 for forced labour and was made to work long hours in a factory. Alongside other survivors, he bravely testified against his perpetrators, giving evidence which resulted in their conviction. Lukasz is formally identified as a victim of modern slavery in the UK. In 2020 he was awarded EU Settled Status and has been living and working in the UK ever since.
In 2023, he returned to his home country but was imprisoned for seven months for a previous theft conviction. Lukasz was targeted by members of a trafficking ring that were specifically recruiting individuals with convictions. His historic crime was therefore one of the factors which made him vulnerable to exploitation.
When Lukasz returned to the UK, he was threatened with eviction because he had defaulted on paying rent at his West Yorkshire flat. He was offered agency work which would have enabled him to make the repayments, but due to Home Office system errors, he was unable to prove his right to work and the job fell through.
Unemployed and without a salary, Lukasz fell into rent arrears. He was served with an eviction notice last summer. At that point, he contacted Hope for Justice asking for our assistance.
Alexandra Williams-Woods, Hope for Justice’s Advocacy Advice Co-ordinator, said: “We had previously advocated on behalf of the survivor, and he had progressed well in his recovery and his circumstances had stabilised. When he contacted us in 2024, he was facing a major setback in his recovery and we took on his case for advocacy intervention. His situation had escalated, and the survivor was at significant risk of homelessness; the bailiffs were due to attend his home and remove his belongings.”
In the event of eviction, Lukasz asked Hope for Justice to help him find somewhere to live. But our team hoped we could advocate for him to remain at his current property. We advocated for him over the next two months.
We contacted the survivor’s landlord, a housing association, and explained the situation.
As a victim of human trafficking, Lukasz should have been entitled to legal aid, but we were unable to find a housing solicitor who could take on his case. We therefore stepped in to assist with paperwork, including completing a form to challenge the eviction notice, and booking a court appointment. Lukasz was successfully granted a hearing – less than one week before he was due to be evicted. With assistance from volunteer trainees at DLA law firm, we provided a supporting letter for the survivor to give to the duty solicitor in court, explaining his circumstances. The court ruled in Lukasz’s favour and he was able to maintain his tenancy and re-start his payment plan.
Lukasz told our team: “The hearing went well, the eviction notice has been overturned.”
Meanwhile, we liaised with legal charity The AIRE Centre, who contacted EUSS and requested they investigate the issue with the survivor’s right to work code. They were able to contact a Home Office vulnerable client adviser who resolved the online error. This meant that Lukasz was able to immediately start working again.
Alexandra Williams-Woods said: “We were pleased to be able to play a part in resolving these issues for the survivor and it is a huge relief that the survivor was not made homeless. We are so grateful that the survivor is now back in a secure tenancy. He is now able to support himself through working in his chosen job.”
*Name and image changed to protect identity of the survivor
