Tenants’ plea for move to escape damp home
Pair claim their property is not ‘equipped for this weather’
TWO vulnerable women have been forced to endure damp and mouldy living conditions amid a drastic cold snap.
Moira Yvonne Heafey, 50, and her carer and friend Mary McGoldrick, 48 have been living in the Dalmarnock Thenue Housing property since 2019.
The 50-year-old woman suffers from long-term mobility issues but carer Mary has struggled to ensure their concerns were heard as she has non-verbal autism.
“We are at our wits end. This is going to make matters worse for us both,” Mary said. “We have mould on bedroom and we have skin problems and weak immune systems.”
Mary, 48, raised concerns the housing is “not equipped for this weather” as Glasgow has faced a series of snow and ice weather warnings in recent weeks.
She said: “Housing rehousing us but we prepared to live in like this.”
“Last year we had no problems with dampness but we’ve had a bad winter this year and it’s affecting our health and the housing association is only dealing with emergency repairs.
“I’m concerned about living here but people are making it harder for us because of this virus,” Mary added.
She fears they are more likely to catch Covid-19 as the living conditions affect their immune systems.
Communicating with the housing association is a source of great stress for the carer who only commuis not aren’t conditions
nicates email.
The carer claims the housing bosses “don’t understand the way she communicates” because she cannot speak over the phone nor face to face.
Mary handles all the communication for both herself and Moira through only email but interacting with the association verbally has caused her to suffer “meltdowns and anxiety attacks”.
The two women are hoping to be moved into retirement housing which would better serve their needs.
However, they have felt “isolated” since moving to the Dalmarnock property which also leaves them far away from shops and public transport.
Mary, who is also beginning to experience mobility issues, said she needs to get taxis for essential shopping trips.
“When we were living in Calton we could go out into town or for walks – we knew people there. They miss us and we felt part of the community. Here we don’t know anyone.”
The pair are currently second on the medium priority
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list for a two bed retirement home in the area.
Thenue Housing Association’s chief executive, Charles Turner claimed repairs would be carried out after current lockdown restrictions were eased.
He added: “Our tenants advised us of a repair needing done on Saturday January 9 which was responded to, two days later on Monday January 11.
“Following sight of photos they provided us with we advised them that we would be in touch to schedule a date for the work to be carried out, as soon as the current lockdown restrictions eased.
“Our tenants also advised that they were currently shielding so access will only be given to us for gas or any heating failure. We advised them to contact us should the situation worsen.
“We place great emphasis on the wellbeing of our tenants and ensuring we provide homes which are suitable to their needs. Both our tenants have been placed on our housing waiting list and also on a list for retirement housing, but we neither own nor manage any sheltered housing.”