A family of five and a baby have been forced to live in a studio flat ridden with mould where they have dinner on the floor due to a lack of space.
Mohamed Abubakar, his wife Rasha Al-Buriahi and their four children of whom the youngest is one-year-old, have to eat and sleep in the same room of their overcrowded home in Tower Hamlets, east London.
The cramped area is packed with a double bed and two single beds on either side and is infested with mould which has kept their nine-year-old daughter awake with a constant cough.
But Mohamed who has been bidding for a home for 13 years says he has been told that his family will have to remain in the room owned by Gateway Housing Association in London till around the year 2030, MyLondon reports.
The family says they try to stop their clothes from being destroyed by mould by shoving their belongings inside pillow cases and that they believe the toxic substance is causing their kids to fall seriously ill.
Following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 after exposure to black mould in his home, this has left mum Rasha in tears as she now fears for her own children.
Awaab Ishak's home met the definition of being “unfit for human habitation” when it was inspected on 14 July 2020 but nothing was done.
The two-year-old died after his throat swelled and mould filled his lungs making him unable to breathe.
Rasha said: "When I saw his story, I choked. Why isn't anything being done for my children? For three days I couldn't sleep. I choked up because a child died."
The mum's nine-year-old has been unable to rest due to a persistent cough which keeps her up at night and leaves her falling asleep in classes.
The nine-year-old said: "I can't sleep at night. I sometimes slept at break but when I was in Year 3, I slept in lessons. I just keep on coughing. I can't stop."
In a letter seen by MyLondon, a health visitor who saw Mohammed's family's flat said: "The family's current address does not leave enough room for children to walk around the house, there are also safety issues around electrical cords protruding, and these can be easily pulled out by the children while exploring 'their environment'.
"I am concerned that if housing is still an issue this might impact on the parenting, which in turn could impact on the baby's lack of stability and inability to achieve developmental milestones."
Mohamed was working 12 hour night-shifts till he had a change in his circumstances which meant he now only works two days a week.
While he looks for a new job he says that and has been on the housing list since 2002, has been regularly bidding for four-bed properties in the borough since 2017, but was told by the Tower Hamlets council that the average wait time is 13 years.
The dad says he can't afford private renting due to the requirement to pay large sums of rent upfront and it becoming less common for private landlords to accept people on housing benefits.
He said: "He said: "Every week I'm bidding, my question is where are all the houses going? How do all these people have priority, more than us?
"Some people have less children and they are a priority and get a new home - we don't get anything."
The family claims they have reached out to the council multiple times, and both Tower Hamlets and Gateway Housing Association are aware of their living conditions.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear about this family’s situation. Overcrowding is a serious problem for many families in Tower Hamlets due to a chronic lack of genuinely affordable homes.
"Around one in six households in our borough are classed as overcrowded, which is three times the national average, and above the inner London average where overcrowding levels are typically high."
The spokesperson said the borough is experiencing a shortage of big homes and the council's housing register has over 21,000 people on it, which is the third highest waiting list in London after Newham and Lambeth.
A spokesperson for Gateway Housing Association said they are taking "immediate steps" to repair the mould.
The spokesperson added: "Gateway Housing Association is aware that Mr Abubakar and Mrs Al-Buriahi and their family are on the London Borough of Tower Hamlet’s waiting list for a suitable home.
"In the meantime, we have surveyed the home they reside at, and are taking immediate steps to address the mould."
