When a family-of-10 was presented with a 5-bedroom home free of charge, they immediately turned down the generous offer. Instead, the family, which receives more than $50,000 per year in benefits, had a simple request for taxpayers.
For Arnold Mballe Sube and his wife Jeanne, both of whom were born in Cameron, living in Britain means pursuing the ultimate dream for their family. Still, they didn’t expect that this pursuit would include struggling to provide the basic needs for their 8 children and possibly even more in the near future.
Within the first few weeks arriving in the country, the 33-year-old parents blew through nearly $20,000 in rent, paying for a home they couldn’t possibly afford. However, they weren’t able to come up with a workable budget and downsize in order to make it on their own.
Discovering the benefits that are available to immigrants, the Subes quickly applied for every welfare program for which they could qualify. Soon, the family was receiving $1,656 per month for rent and more than $57,000 in annual benefits. However, they decided that this simply wasn’t enough for a family-of-10 to thrive.
After applying for a government-funded house, the Sube family was offered several different apartments without any cost by the Luton Borough Council. However, once the family was finally given a 5-bedroom home, into which they could immediately move free of charge, the Subes had just one thing to say.
After being presented with a lavish 5-bedroom house entirely for free, the family-of-10 rejected the offering, replying that the home would be too “cramped,” according to Daily Mail. Instead, they insisted that the taxpayers provide them with a much larger house more than double the size they were offered, having at least 6 double-sized bedrooms in which to house their children.
The council attempted to fulfill their request, offering them even bigger houses three more times. Finally, the family was given an ultimatum to choose a house or pay for their own. Reluctantly, the Subes snatched up the offer, accepting a $551,300 property in a nice part of town. Later, Arnold Mballe Sube explained that such an offer is the least that the country could do for him.
He said: “Where I’m from they would give houses to English people easily and treat them very fairly, so I expect fair treatment from any country I move to. It is my right to live a normal life like any other normal family”.
The Sun reports that their new home includes a detached property with 4 double bedrooms, a utility room, a garage, a garden, and a driveway, which would cost the average citizen around $19,000 a year in rent. Despite having what they feel is just enough room to satisfy their eight children, the Subes haven’t ruled out having more kids.
The home is considered a “lovely estate” by locals, and it sits in a highly desirable suburb of the city. The move has caused outrage among citizens, who find it “unfair” that the family gets to move in simply because they don’t make enough money.
One neighbour told the Sun: “If you have eight kids you should not expect to be bailed out. The father has played the system and won. They are extremely fortunate. This is a lovely estate. Parents are desperate to move here.”
Likewise, the case has garnered the attention of politicians, especially those who seek to reform welfare and save the already burdened taxpayers. Luton Conservative MP David Morris blasted the move and blamed the council for allowing individuals to abuse the system.
“Families up and down Britain could never dream of affording a big house like this. Yet they are having their noses rubbed in that fact by being made to fork out for someone else to live like a king,” he said.
In addition to their half-a-million-dollar home, the Subes have gladly taken many more taxpayer-funded benefits. Arnold has received $35,022 to pursue a 3-year psychiatric degree. They were also put up for free at the Hampton by Hilton hotel in Luton for four months as they searched for a home, costing the taxpayers just under $50,000 in rent and room service.
Some publications were forced to retract their initial reports because the Sube family found their words to be insulting and false. Arnold reiterated that he had worked two jobs at one point and still could not afford to provide for his eight children. He insisted that he had merely invoked his statutory rights in asking the council for a larger home. Additionally, the Mirror was forced to financially settle with the Subes, paying them a “confidential settlement sum with their reasonable legal costs.”
The Sube family maintains that they are owed every penny they’ve received from the taxpayers. They also haven’t ruled out having more children in the future. For now, we can only assume that the family-of-10 is living comfortably on the dole while families who work more cumbersome jobs struggle to pay for less lavish lifestyles.
