Description:The Sparkbrook newsletter became an important space for local residents to express their thoughts about living in Sparkbrook. This edition from 1965 includes an article by a 'Sparkbrook Resident' which highlights the deplorable housing conditions in which some residents lived.
The situation facing the Egan family, who came to Birmingham from Ireland, reflects that of many migrants living in deteriorating multi-occupied properties. The five years they spent on the waiting list for council housing was typical of the situation since migrants had to wait for at least five years before becoming eligible for council housing.
Overcrowding was particularly acute in Sparkbrook. The family of seven were crammed into living space of two rooms in a house on Gladstone Road with nowhere for the children to play except for the road.
The example of the Egans encapsulates many of the social problems that the Sparkbrook Association set out to tackle such as the lack of space for children to grow and play and the poor condition of ageing properties.