After 25 years as a grants manager at Trust for London, Helal Uddin Abbas is retiring.
From his early days as a teenage activist in Spitalfields, Abbas has dedicated himself to helping London's communities fight for justice.
During his three decades working at the Trust, he has helped countless organisations play their part in making London fairer. He will be missed by many, and we wish him the very best for retirement.
As he prepares to step down, we asked him to share some reflections on his journey.
Manny Hothi, chief executive
Can you tell us where it all began – how did you get into community work?
I got involved in community organising and activism as a result of my life experience of racism. Not being able to access schooling properly, or enjoy youth clubs and living in poor housing. These are some of the experiences that shaped my political stance. The need to stand up and be counted and do something rather than simply accept the inequality that existed in East London where I grew up.
Migrant families were denied access to social housing. Children of migrant backgrounds were not allowed in youth clubs, or if they did attend, they quite often faced racism which no one in positions of authority was willing to do anything about. The police were not responsive enough to racial attacks in East London in the early 70s and 80s. And as a result, many of us had to organise. Many of us had to defend our communities – communities that should have been defended by the institutions of society who failed us.
Many of us were living in poor housing, denied access to social housing, yet at the same time there were blocks of flats boarded up, houses boarded up, whole streets boarded up. So some of us got involved – alongside other communities like the Irish community – and squatted and occupied some of those houses and flats, and made sure we supported others who were in housing need. Initially some people felt it was risky.
Not being able to access schooling properly, or enjoy youth clubs, and living in poor housing ... shaped my political stance. The need to stand up and be counted and do something rather than simply accept the inequality that existed in East London where I grew up.
Some were wary about breaking the law. Some of us were intimidated by the police. The utility companies quite often came and disconnected the very basics. But we overcame those challenges, with support from other communities experiencing similar housing emergencies.
Over a period of time, that led to us establishing formal legal structures – a housing co-op, which then changed status to a housing association, which now provides social housing. One housing association I’ve been involved with now owns properties worth over a million pounds. An achievement which none of us believed we could achieve.
What are you most proud of from your time at Trust for London?
Trust for London punches above its weight. As a small charity, it has been brave enough to fund challenging work – whether it was FGM, being one of the initial promoters of the living wage, or ritual child abuse.
But more importantly, we have funded a large number of small grassroots organisations, some of whom have now become quite big and are taking on national issues. We quite often have been the first funder of some very small, embryonic organisations which have now grown, and since our funding have been able to attract funding from other funders.
It’s been a privilege and an honour to work for an organisation that supports the vulnerable and the needy in order to challenge inequality and poverty that exist in our society.
