Awaab Ishak's social landlord has been condemned after a report found staff held 'prejudices' and a 'wholly unacceptable' attitude towards refugees. Little Awaab, whose parents had moved to the UK as asylum seekers from Sudan, died aged two in December 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould at the family's social flat in Rochdale.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), which owned and managed the property, has since been criticised by the Housing Ombudsman for using the lifestyle of tenants as a 'reason to dismiss their concerns'. A report published today (March 28) showed staff blaming 'the style of cooking... and the style of blaming' for damp and mould.
The Ombudsman slammed RBH after uncovering 'a disturbing picture of residents being judged' and a 'culture of othering'. Housing secretary Michael Gove suggested 'discrimination' had a part to play in the tragedy of Awaab.
