I& #39;m a private tenant on a council block in South East London. I& #39;m one of a few tenants like this; my neighbours are low wage or no income; many speak English as a 2nd language and have multiple daily stresses that I decipher from the screams through my floors & open windows. (1/)

I write this as a family downstairs are screaming at each other in Arabic (which I understand) and their neighbours who have a (now screaming) 3y/o kid are screaming at them to shut up. I see a kid in uniform returning from school oblivious or ignoring it. Life on a block... (2/)

Screams getting scarier. I knocked the door. Teenage daughter answered w/ her father (family still screaming in the b/ground) "IT& #39;S JUST FAMILY PROBLEMS" + closed the door. Many families would never call the police. It& #39;s sth that stays behind closed doors (and thin walls). (3/)

Hard to know what to do. Flare-ups happen often. Life on a block. We hold breath until it sounds dangerous or goes on too long. We count minutes til "letting off steam" sounds sinister. We know it& #39;s hard times for everyone. We don& #39;t know what they& #39;re going through. We wait. (/4)

Many directions I could take this thread! My work? "Charity starts at home," mum always said. I recall the sounds and faces of my own neighbours in sessions about social change, vulnerable people or "COVID 19 and its effects". Home & work life have blurred; keeps me humble. (/5)