Another horror story of sick child living in mouldy state house

Housing New Zealand is offering an Auckland woman alternative accommodation, following confirmation that mould has contributed to her seven-year-old son’s serious respiratory and heart problems.

Bergin said its not exclusively a state house issue and is aware of young families living in privately-owned rentals that are not up to scratch.

There were holes in a wall of the bedroom shared by her sons, aged 7 and 9, she said.

“Because the water’s coming straight down from the inside of the wall, coming down to the bottom, and it’s just rotted all the wood on the side of it”, she told the broadcaster.

Earlier this morning, HNZ’s chief executive Glen Sowry told RNZ the situation Ms Wensor is in is unacceptable and the agency would pay for a motel for as long as her family are out of permanent housing.

Labour’s Phil Twyford says Ms Wensor and community workers have been asking Housing NZ to move the family for several months.

“This family’s house would not meet the standards, and neither would all the other cases we keep hearing about of children falling seriously ill because they live in cold, damp, mouldy housing”.

“Housing NZ should have moved them as soon as they were notified of the boy’s health problems”.

“It is not good enough that after months of asking, nothing has been done”.

The Government’s refusal to set minimum warrant of fitness standards for rental homes is causing Kiwi kids to get sick, the Green Party said today.

“This is absolutely shameful in 21st century New Zealand”. “Ms Wensor’s house is clearly not fit to be lived in”.