Family eating outside to avoid mouldy kitchen
A family have resorted to eating outdoors on mats to avoid getting sick from mould in their Kāinga Ora home.
Safiya Abdi, who has polio disease, said a tap leak in the kitchen of her two-bedroom Kāinga Ora rental in Auckland’s Mt Roskill in early August made the area damp, causing mould to grow. After noticing her children becoming sick, Abdi made several complaints to Kāinga Ora.
‘‘I was told to be patient because the entire kitchen would be redone in October,’’ she said.
Abdi said she was refused short-term accommodation in the interim, so her family, including two children aged 10 and 12, resorted to eating outside on mats.
‘‘They said there was no mould in the kitchen, just bacteria, which could be cleaned and was not harmful. I have got a daughter who has asthma and as soon as she walks in, she starts coughing.
‘‘She has trouble breathing and immediately needs her inhaler.
‘‘We are having to avoid the kitchen as much as we can. We eat outdoors on mats. I usually sit on a chair because I have trouble moving my legs.’’
She said she had even contemplated sleeping on a mattress in the garage with her children to avoid them getting sick overnight, when all the doors and windows had to be closed.
In June, Stuff reported Abdi had been waiting for a more accessible house for five years.
Abdi said she had asked ‘‘several times’’ to be temporarily relocated because of her daughter’s health issues.
‘‘Even if it is bacteria, it is still an unhealthy environment to live in because of my child’s health problems. I have been told to clean it myself, which I would struggle to do because of my disability.’’
Staying with friends is also not an option as Abdi has accessibility needs. ‘‘I require a special toilet and special chairs. We also can’t afford to rent privately as we already pay rent here.’’
She said having to stay in the house in its current state for almost two months had left her feeling ‘‘isolated and like I don’t belong here’’.
‘‘I pay rent every week to live in a house with mould and bacteria with a sick daughter.’’
Kāinga Ora central and east Auckland regional director John Tubberty said: ‘‘I am very concerned to hear Safiya’s complaints about the state of her kitchen. I have asked our team to investigate this as soon as possible and take whatever temporary or permanent steps are necessary to make sure Safiya and her family have a safe and healthy home.’’ Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air