From ‘beautiful’ to ‘wrack and ruin’: Senior struggles living in mouldy, flooded house
By
Seia Ibanez
- Replies 13
Content Warning: This article contains distressing details about severe living conditions and challenges faced by individuals in public housing, which may be emotionally sensitive for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
In this day and age, one would hope that poor living conditions would be tales from a bygone era.
However, some in our society are still grappling with this harsh reality.
Recently, a case turned heads in Perth where a great-grandmother revealed the shocking state of her public housing.
Sharon (not her real name), 58, is a great-grandmother and domestic violence survivor, and she describes her living situation as an absolute nightmare.
She said her ‘beautiful’ home is slowly turning into ‘wrack and ruin’.
Her home has cracked floors, ruined skirting boards, and a mould problem that has been severely exacerbating her emphysema and other health issues.
Her home is also constantly flooding–even it isn't raining.
In an attempt to fix these problems, she reported them in early October; her home received a ‘lick of paint’, and a fan was installed.
Unfortunately, the tradesperson who did the labour broke her washing machine, which remains unusable.
Despite the efforts to fix the mould problem, Sharon believes the mould is returning. According to 7News, a health inspector’s assessment of her residence said the mould was ‘likely to increase exponentially’.
In addition, problems like cracked floorboards and flooding are also unaddressed as of late November.
'There's water pouring into my spare room everywhere,' Sharon said.
'Into the wardrobe, on the floor, coming down the passage...I'm having to put towels down, and they're all soaking wet.’
‘It's a danger that I slip over,’ she added.
Sharon was informed that she may need to wait a few weeks for the rest of her house’s problems to be fixed.
Someone would be at her home by December 5.
‘And I’m thinking “Well, I’ll need a row boat,”’ she scoffed.
Sharon’s living conditions were ‘crazy’, according to Sue (not her real name), her close friend.
‘It’s just been like a living nightmare for her,’ Sue said.
According to Western Australia Housing Minister John Carey, there is a 24-hour response time for emergency issues, but ‘more complex matters’ may take longer, and multiple days of work may also be required.
‘We do everything we can,’ Carey said.
‘We have 36,000 properties in the system.’
But the demand for public housing in the state is growing—with 35 beds at the converted Murray Hotel in West Perth filling up fast.
The service is part of the Housing First supported accommodation model of the government—which is also now housing 109 people sleeping without a home.
There are also 112 apartments being constructed in East Perth on the corner of Hill and Wellington Streets.
In a previous story, a 78-year-old former industrial worker struggling to make ends meet has been forced to sleep in her car.
She felt that she had no other choice, as she had no family left in the country. You can read more about her story here.
Members, what do you think of the current public housing situation? Let us know in the comments below.
In this day and age, one would hope that poor living conditions would be tales from a bygone era.
However, some in our society are still grappling with this harsh reality.
Recently, a case turned heads in Perth where a great-grandmother revealed the shocking state of her public housing.
Sharon (not her real name), 58, is a great-grandmother and domestic violence survivor, and she describes her living situation as an absolute nightmare.
She said her ‘beautiful’ home is slowly turning into ‘wrack and ruin’.
Her home has cracked floors, ruined skirting boards, and a mould problem that has been severely exacerbating her emphysema and other health issues.
Her home is also constantly flooding–even it isn't raining.
In an attempt to fix these problems, she reported them in early October; her home received a ‘lick of paint’, and a fan was installed.
Unfortunately, the tradesperson who did the labour broke her washing machine, which remains unusable.
Despite the efforts to fix the mould problem, Sharon believes the mould is returning. According to 7News, a health inspector’s assessment of her residence said the mould was ‘likely to increase exponentially’.
In addition, problems like cracked floorboards and flooding are also unaddressed as of late November.
'There's water pouring into my spare room everywhere,' Sharon said.
'Into the wardrobe, on the floor, coming down the passage...I'm having to put towels down, and they're all soaking wet.’
‘It's a danger that I slip over,’ she added.
Sharon was informed that she may need to wait a few weeks for the rest of her house’s problems to be fixed.
Someone would be at her home by December 5.
‘And I’m thinking “Well, I’ll need a row boat,”’ she scoffed.
Sharon’s living conditions were ‘crazy’, according to Sue (not her real name), her close friend.
‘It’s just been like a living nightmare for her,’ Sue said.
According to Western Australia Housing Minister John Carey, there is a 24-hour response time for emergency issues, but ‘more complex matters’ may take longer, and multiple days of work may also be required.
‘We do everything we can,’ Carey said.
‘We have 36,000 properties in the system.’
But the demand for public housing in the state is growing—with 35 beds at the converted Murray Hotel in West Perth filling up fast.
The service is part of the Housing First supported accommodation model of the government—which is also now housing 109 people sleeping without a home.
There are also 112 apartments being constructed in East Perth on the corner of Hill and Wellington Streets.
In a previous story, a 78-year-old former industrial worker struggling to make ends meet has been forced to sleep in her car.
She felt that she had no other choice, as she had no family left in the country. You can read more about her story here.
Key Takeaways
- Sharon has been living in unsatisfactory conditions in her public housing home, which is flooded and full of mould.
- Despite reporting the issues to authorities in October and some minor repair attempts, problems such as cracked floorboards, constant flooding, and mould remain.
- Sharon, who suffers from emphysema, says that the mould in the home is adversely affecting her health.
- Housing Minister John Carey acknowledged the issues but stated that complex matters may take longer to solve and that efforts are being made to cope with the growing demand for public housing in the state.
Members, what do you think of the current public housing situation? Let us know in the comments below.