A mum-of-four who was "frustrated to the point of desperation" with the benefits and housing systems was tragically found dead in her home after years of struggles over money and "uninhabitable" living conditions.
Karen McBride, 46, was prioritised for rehousing after being "wrongly pursued" over benefits debt and declaring herself homeless, her family claimed.
She was moved to Stalybridge, Tameside, with two of her children but the property was said to be "in a very poor state with a myriad of serious restoration work needing to be done."
An inquest was told about a range of serious defects at the house, including black mould which made them ill and caused black dirt to come out of their noses, as well as pigeons nesting in the loft.
Ms McBride's daughter, Codie, said that had it not been for "systemic and police-based failings", her mother's death could have been avoided.
In an emotional statement read out at the inquest, reported by the Manchester Evening News, Codie said: "My mum was a victim of systemic abuse - which is the complete neglect towards a whole class of people in this country.
"This happens when funding is cut to vital services, ineffective procedures are adopted by agencies and an institutionalised poor perception towards those who are in receipt of benefits or living on the breadline is adopted."
Codie said her mum didn't want to accept the tenancy, but was told by Jigsaw Homes that if she refused to accept then she would be making herself and her children intentionally homeless.
The inquest heard there was a delay in her moving in because of promised renovation work but when they finally did, in December 2019, there was no gas or electricity.
The situation apparently arose because Ms McBride's previous landlord, in early 2019, told her he intended to sell up and gave her six weeks' notice to move out.
Codie said: "This left her feeling very nervous and fearful. She was panicked about finding somewhere new to live in such a short space of time.
"She enquired about lots of properties but couldn't find any private rentals that would accept her due to being on benefits. She was told by numerous estate agents that she would require a guarantor, which she did not have.
"She sought advice from the local authority and was advised to declare herself homeless in order to be prioritised for rehousing with the local housing association, Jigsaw."
The inquest heard from the family in Codie's statement about "erroneous debt" and an "issue with housing benefit right from the beginning".
She was "passed back and forth" between Jigsaw Homes and Tameside Council, it was said.
After receiving a second final reminder, Codie said her mum managed to resolve the situation by "continually pushing to get all the information herself, despite the issue being no fault of her own".
The inquest heard shortly after that, Tameside Council "started to chase" Ms McBride for underpayment of council tax. Codie said they sent letters "chasing her for thousands of pounds worth of debt which they said dated back to 2016".
Ms McBride complained to Jigsaw Homes in January 2020 about the house, saying she was "struggling to cope and cannot do this anymore", the inquest was told.
The repairs process was "slow", Codie said, and as Covid lockdown measures were put in place, Ms McBride was in "regular contact with her GP who was making referrals to mental health services for her".
But Codie said her mum became frustrated that she wasn't getting the support she needed.
A GP giving evidence at the inquest, Dr Paresh Parikh, from the Grosvenor Medical Centre in Stalybridge, said she was on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication, but in her most recent "encounters" with the surgery, expressed no self-harm ideations.
But Dr Parikh said in his view, there have been "difficulties in accessing specialist mental health care in Tameside over the last 15 years".
At the time of her death, the inquest heard Ms McBride hadn't been taking her prescribed anti-depressants.
The inquest heard in March 2022, she received a letter from Tameside Council telling her that her housing benefit had been suspended, then one from Jigsaw Homes saying she was in rent arrears.
Codie told the inquest that to her mum, "it felt like the cycle was starting all over again".
She said the "apparent issue" was her son turning 19 affecting her entitlement to housing benefit.
The debt was "pursued for many months" with letters continuing, but it turned out to be an error, she added.
The inquest heard that in the weeks before her death, on August 1 last year, she was "solemn and helpless" and still "not certain" what the situation was.
Michael Murphy, an operations director at Jigsaw Homes, was asked by Coroner Chris Morris whether the Rydal Walk property was fit to live in.
He didn't say yes or no, but said a gas and electric safety check was carried out and that it was "apparent" that a "number of repairs were not done".
He added their systems have since been changed and they have "a new standard".
From June 2022, he said Ms McBride didn't express any concerns about the property, which was eventually renovated.
On July 1 last year, he said they wrote to her to say the benefit payment issues had been settled.
Karen Milner, from the council tax team at Tameside Council, said the Department for Work and Pensions notified the council to say a 'non-dependent' was living at the house, but on the council's records it said 'dependent'.
That's why, she said, payments were suspended. But Ms McBride, she added, was told on June 27 last year that the overpayment had been cleared.
Samantha Smith, head of the national operations hub at the DWP, said "at no stage" were Ms McBride's benefits suspended and because of that, there was no need for them to be reinstated. "At no point did Karen's entitlements cease," she said.
The inquest heard Ms McBride had a life-long struggle with her mental health but in late 2020, became an integral part of the Poverty Truth Commission, launched by Greater Manchester Poverty Action, and gave "inspiring" speeches based on her own experiences of the system.
The inquest heard, however, that Ms McBride "began to feel disillusioned" because business and civic leaders, including Tameside Council, were "not turning up to arranged meetings, even though dates were arranged around their availability".
Codie said in her statement: "My mum was a kind, compassionate person who took the time to listen to everybody. She cared so much about others. She cared so much for us, her four children, who she worshipped.
"She instilled in us honourable traits, such as integrity and kindness. She was an awe-inspiring and powerful woman.
"She was a great teacher with a strong moral compass. My mum's ethos was compassion and kindness. She gave it out so freely, you would never know she had been given so little of it by others."
Coroner Mr Morris found Ms McBride didn't have a "sustained intention" to take her own life, describing her death as an "impulsive act whilst under the influence of alcohol".
He said the inquest highlighted the "complexities of navigating the benefits system" and that the evidence showed she was "frustrated to the point of desperation", but ruled that he didn't agree 'the state' should have been aware of a risk to her life.
"Karen was obviously deeply committed to using her experience to improve the lot of others," said Mr Morris. "She was described as someone who inspires awe - she was a remarkable woman."
Jigsaw Homes say Ms McBride was receiving support from a number of their services, including Inspire - which provided intensive support - and Money Advice, which was helping her with her housing benefit claim.
A spokesperson said: “We would like to pass on our condolences to Miss McBride’s family and friends. She was a strong advocate for the most disadvantaged in society and we worked closely with her on the Tameside Poverty Truth Commission.
“We understand from the evidence presented to the Coroner, that this was a complex and tragic case which involved a number of issues in Miss McBride’s life.
"We provided support services to Miss McBride before and after she moved into the property and we sped up the letting process so she and her family could move into a home, from bed and breakfast accommodation, before Christmas of 2019.
“We completed repairs to prepare the property for Miss McBride and her family to take up occupation. However, at the point of moving in, a leak was discovered which led to further repairs being required.
“We assigned a dedicated officer to progress Miss McBride’s repair requests and they co-ordinated all the repairs reported by Miss McBride and all outstanding repairs, bar one, were completed by the start of lockdown in March 2020.
“During the inquest, some issues were brought to light that we were not aware of, and we will take a full and thorough review of this case at a senior level.”
A Tameside Council spokesperson added: “Our deepest condolences go to the family and friends of Karen McBride. The coroner found that no systemic failings by any organisation contributed to her death.
“The Council does not comment on individual cases, however reviews are undertaken in all such cases to see if any learning can be gained and improvements be made. In all cases benefits and council tax can only be assessed where information is available.”
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
