No move for family with disabled child despite damp and heating problems
Simon Allin, LDRS
Daffodil Court in Childs Hill. - Credit: Joanna Stewart
Her daughter has a life-threatening illness but a Childs Hill mother has been unable to get a housing association to fix her flat's issues with heating, mould and damp.
Joanna Stewart, who lives in Daffodil Court, Granville Road, is desperate to move out of the unsuitable flat, but neither Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) nor Barnet Homes have been able to find her alternative accommodation, despite her being classed as a high priority case.
Ms Stewart said: “It has been a nightmare. I have a severely disabled four-year-old child who has a life-threating illness. There is mould and damp, and I have had no heating in my home for a year apart from oil-filled portable radiators I have bought myself."
Damp by electrical wiring in Daffodil Court. - Credit: Joanna Stewart
She has been a high-priority case on Barnet Homes' housing list for more than three years.
Ms Stewart lives in the property with her husband and two daughters. She said her son used to live with them but went to stay with a cousin due to the condition of his room.
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One of her daughters, who will be five in January, suffers from brain damage and other serious disabilities and requires a specialist bed and hoist.
She said the flats had also been hit by electrical faults, broken lifts, a rat infestation and flooding.
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A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said: ““We have reviewed the transfer banding of the resident in question and she is now in the top priority list, as we do recognise this property is not suitable for her family. Four-bedroom properties do not come up regularly, but we will continue to look for a suitable home in the areas she has requested.”
Damp and mould in Joanna Stewart's Daffodil Court home. - Credit: Joanna Stewart
The housing association said it had “made attempts to repair the heat interface unit at the property but had been unable to gain access to the cupboard”. It was due to attend the property again over the Christmas period.
A Barnet Homes spokesperson said: "She is in band one on the council’s housing allocation scheme – our highest priority band. However, there are other applicants who were placed into band one before Ms Stewart, and as such have a higher priority."
They said adaptable four-bedroom homes in the area were very rare, adding: "Unfortunately, we are unable to make any commitments about how soon Ms Stewart may be made an offer of social housing."
