Mental health experts have called for people on the Rochdale estate where tragic Awaab Ishak lived to be rehoused at the town’s Seven Sisters tower blocks - where hundreds of flats are being held empty ahead of demolition. An inquest into the death of little Awaab found the two-year-old's death was caused by a severe respiratory condition after living in damp and mouldy conditions at the Freehold estate - just a mile away from the doomed high rises at College Bank.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) - which owns and manages both estates - is planning to drop four of the Seven Sisters as part of its controversial plans for regenerating the 'town centre area'. Some 400 homes have been left empty as RBH rehouses residents ahead of pulling the blocks down and refurbishing the three remaining towers - a strategy that has already invited fierce criticism given there are 22,000 people on the borough’s waiting list.
RBH insists it is ‘committed to creating homes of the highest quality’ and residents’ wellbeing remains its ‘top priority’ as it embarks upon its long-term regeneration programme. But now the mutual - which sacked CEO Gareth Swarbrick in the wake of the Awaab Ishak tragedy - is coming under pressure to open up the Seven Sisters to Freehold residents from the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).
Saiqa Naz, president of BABCP’s board of trustees says people at the Freehold Estate are ‘scared for their lives - especially those that still live in the same block of flats as Awaab’.
“They are telling me they now have physical health problems like asthma and breathing difficulties because of the mould and that’s going to stay with them for the rest of their lives,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“We know there is a link between physical and mental health. But also they are going to bed at night worried about their lives. That’s quite a traumatic experience for them and it’s on repeat every single day, feeling quite helpless.”
Saiqa, who grew up in Rochdale and lives in the town, added: “If people are living in mouldy flats and feeling threatened they need to be removed. The Seven Sisters has empty flats and my understanding is RBH has taken the electricity out but they are not mouldy and damp and can be quickly repaired.
“And then those residents who are scared for their lives can be brought to a place of safety - there’s a physical safety and a psychological safety that needs to be taken into account as well.”
She also stresses that while the focus has been on mould and damp in the wake of Awaab’s death, people will also need help to deal with the ‘trauma’ of what has happened.
BABCP says the experience of living in poor housing conditions - particularly those proven to be detrimental to health - can cause people ‘phenomenal’ levels of anxiety. It’s a point picked up by Colin Hughes, honorary secretary of BABCP’ board of trustees.
“That starts a cycle of worry without resolution," he said. "It can create a situation where people’s resilience significantly decreases. In combination with their physical health that increases their vulnerability, which tips them quite often into quite significant ill health.”
Colin, a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) specialist, says efforts to improve people’s psychological wellbeing can be hampered where ‘institutional problems’ exist. He said: “What that does is it instils within the individuals the idea that perhaps there’s something fundamentally wrong with them.
"That they’re not getting better when they should be because this treatment works - when, in actuality, it's because of the situation that they face.”
A spokesperson for RBH said the organisation was ‘committed to creating homes of the highest quality where residents feel safe and secure – because their wellbeing is our top priority’.
They added: “To this aim, since 2017, we have worked closely with and consulted our residents regarding our comprehensive regeneration plans. This will enable us to not only improve the quality of homes, but also continue providing the housing needed by our current residents and future generations.
“This is a long-term and complex project and as residents are supported throughout this process, there will be a number of empty properties in blocks scheduled for demolition that are therefore, unsuitable for new tenants. However, tenants are being supported to relocate to a new home, in an area of their choice.”
RBH says it is also dedicated to supporting residents’ mental health and wellbeing, pointing to the fact it has previously held drop-in sessions supported by the charity Mind. It will also be working closely with the Tenants and Residents Association in Freehold ‘to explore what further support residents might need’.
A spokesperson added: “We acknowledge, and continue to be deeply apologetic, for mistakes that have been made and one of our immediate priorities is to rebuild trust with our residents and deliver safe and secure housing for all.
“This commitment is shared by our board, which is comprised of highly skilled, experienced, and steadfast members who – as a mutual – were appointed by the tenant and employee representative body, and collectively we are focused on working exceptionally hard to make sure the people living in our homes are safe, secure and well supported.”
A petition launched by the Manchester Evening News memory of Awaab, has now topped 156,000 signatures. It calls for a new law to prevent any more children dying from damp and mouldy conditions in social housing.
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