A family with a disabled toddler have been living in charity accommodation for 16 months in a battle over their council house.
Mum-of-four Kara Caldecott, her partner Habid and three of their children have stayed at Ronald McDonald House since their disabled two-year-old daughter Rivaéya was admitted to Manchester Children's Hospital in May, last year.
Kara said the charity, which provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation next door, giving families the chance to remain close to their child whilst they are in hospital, has been 'brilliant'. However Kara believes the three-bed house Oldham Council has found them is 'inhabitable', with mould, not enough bedrooms or wheelchair friendly.
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Kara, 23, told the Manchester Evening News : "My heart breaks for them. They [my children] need some stability.
"They need some normal life. Everyone else here has a base. They get to go away from the hospital and have a break and a bit of respite. My children don't get that time.
"Rivaéya requires one-to-one care and we are often not back from the ward until late at night. They are long, long days for my children."
Little Rivaéya, who has cerebral palsy, was admitted to hospital with breathing issues on May 17, last year. She then had a gastrostomy and tracheostomy on July 21 to help her breathe.
Parents Kara and Habid, seven-year-old Arlo and three-year-old Indiyah Beaux, lived in one bedroom for six months and then moved to a suite with two bedrooms before their fourth child, 12-week-old Kaizer, was born.
The family had hoped Oldham Council would find them a suitable home which would mean little Rivaéya could be discharged from hospital and allow them to move into a house together. However, Kara said the three-bed house is mouldy, has not been adapted for Rivaéya's wheelchair, with doors being too narrow and no downstairs bath or sink, and it does not have enough bedrooms, meaning she will have to sleep in the dining room.
Kara said the adaptions needs to be agreed by a council panel. In the meantime they have to bid on bigger, more suitable-already adapted properties that will appropriately meet the whole families needs. She added: "It is deemed dangerous to keep Rivaéya in hospital due to the high risk of her contracting bugs that will be detrimental to her health.
"Rivaéya’s first discharge date was supposed to be in July 22 and we are still no nearer to being in a house that we will finally get to call home."
The family said they have endured two summer holidays in hospital and they claim it's taking its toll on the children. Kara added: "It's really hard. As a mum, I feel like I am failing. I can't give my children a stable family life. No child normally lives in what is like a hotel room."
She said the situation, which also means two of her children have to battle a 22-mile round trip to St Margaret's school in Oldham, is stopping the kids from having any type of normality.
Kara said: "The children are collected from school by their aunt and taken to my mum's house. They wait for her to finish work so that she can then take them back to the hospital.
"The children have to endure a 22-mile round trip to school. They have hardly anytime to complete homework as they do not get back to the hospital until 9pm sometimes due to her work commitments. None of this would be an issue if the house could be made habitable."
Gran Dawn Caldecott, 42, has been trying to decorate the house herself but has due to the mould has been advised by 'health professionals to stay away'. She said: They have no right to a private family life, and Rivaéya is just left waiting until 'jobs can be raised and panels can be arranged'.
"I am disgusted that people, mainly children have to endure this type of treatment by the community services to enable them to have their human rights.
"As the family's mother and grandmother I am appalled at the service and system that Oldham Council and the professionals have to work in, and the impact that this delay in getting this family home has had a massive impact.
"While we wait for the house to be mould free and be ready and safe for Rivaéya to move into, Rivaéya is at high risk of contracting a hospital infection.
"All this too while the parents and siblings all share a room, a communal kitchen and still do not have a house they can yet, call home."
Steve Mather, First Choice Homes Oldham Director of Assets and Sustainability, said: "We are committed to providing and maintaining high quality, safe homes that meet our customers’ needs and we are working hard to find solutions to the concerns Ms Caldecott has raised about her daughter’s home.
“We take the welfare of our customers extremely seriously and since our customer began her tenancy with us in June, we have worked with her family’s Occupational Therapist at Oldham Council and installed a range of adaptations at the home, so it better suits the family’s needs.
“When repairs at the property came to light following the removal of wallpaper by the customer at the beginning of this month, we organised for one of our inspectors to visit our customer’s home to make an initial assessment. Following this, we have instructed our contractor to remove all remaining wallpaper, so that we can complete a full assessment, and should any further repairs be required, we will undertake them as a matter of urgency to ensure the family can move into their home as soon as possible.
“We will continue to stay in regular contact with our customer until all necessary works are completed and the family are settled in their new home.”
Sally Cannon, House Manager at Ronald McDonald House Manchester, said: “It has been our pleasure to accommodate and support Kara and her family since Rivaéya was admitted to hospital in May 2021.
"Our 13 Houses around the UK provide a free and welcoming place to stay, available to families with children being treated at our partnered NHS hospitals.
"We recognise that the Caldecott family is keen to secure appropriate housing, so they can go home and begin to re-establish their lives, and sincerely hope that this happens for them soon. In the meantime, we will continue to provide them with a warm, safe and comfortable ‘home from home’ environment, for as long as Rivaéya is an inpatient at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.”
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