Tower-Hamlets-Citizens-Report-FINAL-use-this

DAMPTower Hamlets is riddled with damp. We asked people to rate the levels of damp in their home on a scale of 1 -5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. 65% of people gave their home a score of 3 or below. This borough isfighting a never-ending battle against damp.‘The walls of this flat were black with mouldThis problem is affecting our health. People told us how the dampwhen we moved in. I think my boyfriend’sis causing their children to develop breathing problems andlungs are rotting because of the damp air’allergies, like asthma and eczema. The moisture in our walls is aFemale Student,breeding ground for bacteria and mould. As these grow theyPrivate Tenant, Shadwell, 26.03.14release spores and fragments that fill the air inside our home.Inhaling mould spores can provoke allergic reactions such assneezing and skin rashes, and bacteria acts as a medium forspreading disease. When they go to bed, our children are breathing in this toxic air, which harms their lungs andmakes them ill.Our kids have constantly got coughs and colds because of the damp and mould growing in our homes. Thisharms their development and future prospects as they have to miss school too often because of illness,meaning that they are persistently playing catch-up with their classmates. We know it’s not good for them tomiss so much class, but it is not our fault when bacteria and bugs breed best in our walls, and it is not fair thatour children are falling behind in life because of the damp at home.We try to put an end to this aggravation, and every year we pay to have our damp painted over, but this doesnot address the cause of the problem and is only a short-term fix. We are fighting a losing battle and sometimeswe have to admit defeat and abandon the rooms that have been affected the worst. Fatima from Poplar told ushow she had to move her whole family into one bedroom because the other room is covered in moisture andmould. Her four kids now all sleep in one bedroom due to the damp.So, on top of everything else, some of us are now paying rent for rooms that we can’t even use and life hasbecome just that bit harder as parents and children, brothers and sisters are forced into cramped conditions,with little room for manoeuvre. Damp is not just a bit of moisture on the wall that can be painted over andignored. It is much more than that.65%OF HOMES ARE DAMPResident’s Flat, Shadwell