York family’s damp curse (From York Press)
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York family’s damp curse
8:16am Wednesday 20th February 2013 in News
By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk
Donna D’Arcy with children Lee and Lucas in her flat.
We launched our Stamp Out Poverty campaign to raise awareness of the many people struggling to make ends meet. KATE LIPTROT talks to one family living in difficult conditions.
IN a one-bedroom flat, plagued with mould, mum Donna D’Arcy fears for the health of her two young children.
Donna, 20, her partner, Scott, and her children Lucas, three, and Lee, 11 months, all share a bedroom at their home in Regent Street, near the city centre. There is mould on the walls.
Donna said the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable. Lee, who is teething and who cries through the night, has developed a bad cough which Donna believes is linked to the flat’s damp conditions.
She said she is especially worried as her friend Kia Stone’s 11-month-old daughter, Telan Carlton, died suddenly last October after being taken ill at her family’s damp one-bedroom flat in Chapelfields, Donna said: “Lee has a bad chest and does nothing but cough. I’m worried about the health of my children.
“My dad has asthma, and even when he comes round he can’t stay for more than 20 minutes. His chest starts playing up because of the damp and mould.
“My family say it’s disgraceful. They say the council needs to start looking after families like mine and treating them as a priority.”
Donna, who admits she has rent arrears, said she was allocated the flat three years ago when she was a single mother to Lucas. She has since got together with Scott and given birth to Lee.
She said she has attended a couple of council housing advice sessions at York Library, but has been unable to secure a new home.
Steve Waddington, City of York Council’s assistant director for housing and community safety, said: “We originally allocated this flat to Ms D’Arcy and her oldest child – then aged eight months – in line with the policy at the time.
“However, since then, she has had another child and her partner has moved in. As a result of these changes to her household, her transfer application has been awarded higher priority.
“We have replaced the standard extractor fan with a humidity controlled one and, as we do with all tenants, provide advice on ventilating and heating their home to mininise condensation.
“To secure a transfer, all existing tenants must be up to date with their rent and ensure their application is up to date. Support with paying off arrears is available through the estate managers, through the sessions listed below and via the CAB on 0844 826 9705.
“Tenants are also advised to maximise their chances of securing a move by frequently bidding on as wide a variety of home and locations as possible via northyorkshirehomechoice.org.uk and at homeswapper.co.uk, which is free for social housing tenants.
“People can also look at available options at york.gov.uk/housing/Affordable_housing/ or phone our housing registrations team on 01904 554044. Free internet access and help to use it, if needed, is available at any council library and the customer centre in Library Square.”
Comments(36)
lowbeam
says...
8:49am Wed 20 Feb 13
...Yes,what a good idea,let's all leave our windows open and let the rain and snow in..NOT
You Pil**ck!
Micklegate
says...
8:53am Wed 20 Feb 13
.is she deliberately taking the mickey by having two quality TVs in the picture?
Shouter
says...
9:01am Wed 20 Feb 13
Hilly rides Horses
says...
9:13am Wed 20 Feb 13
Here are a few tips to take charge of your own life and not be a so called ‘victim’.
1. Clean off the mould on the walls yourself. Do not rely on others to do everything for you ie. The council.
2. Think about your personal circumstances and how they would be adversely affected by significant change. The clue is in the title ‘Family Planning’.
3. This is as usual treating the symptoms rather than getting to the root cause of the problem and that is that some people expect the state to look after them whatever they do or don’t do and pay for everything. It is a mentality that is bankrupting this country.
‘She said she is especially worried as her friend Kia Stone’s 11-month-old daughter, Telan Carlton, died suddenly last October after being taken ill at her family’s damp one-bedroom flat in Chapelfields’
The hint in this statement as to the cause of death is irrelevant as the cause of death is still to be declared by the coroner.
Any speculation to the cause of death would be tantamount to contempt of court.
I see Lowbeam is here supporting the single mother with an insult to a poster whatever constructive comments are raised….. again just like last time when ‘Landed Gentry’ made a point Lowbeam made a hollow threat that he would require a brief…..
They are comments! Do not court publicity if you are not prepared to take support or indeed flak, particularly in these fiscally challenging times for the taxpayer!
Pete the Brickie
says...
9:16am Wed 20 Feb 13
Theendoftheworld
says...
9:25am Wed 20 Feb 13
Wouldn't surprise me if they even have a microwave - cheeky blighters!
Eric Olthwaite
says...
9:29am Wed 20 Feb 13
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/education-2151
1583
I do not see York in this top list:
Constituencies with highest levels of child poverty
• 47% Manchester Central
• 43% Belfast West
• 43% Glasgow North East
• 42% Birmingham Ladywood
• 42% Bethnal Green and Bow
• 42% Liverpool Riverside
• 41% Poplar and Limehouse
• 40% Middlesbrough
• 38% Blackley and Broughton
• 38% Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Constituencies with lowest levels of child poverty
• Under 5% Sheffield Hallam
• 5% Kenilworth and Southam
• 5% South Northamptonshire
• 5% Haltemprice and Howden
• 5% Rushcliffe
• 6% Wimbledon
• 6% Skipton and Ripon
• 6% Stone
• 6% Beckenham
• 6% South Leicestershire
Therefore logically York must be somewhere in between.
The Stamp out Poverty campaign is all very well and is an example of big business corporate social responsibility but I really don’t see this going anywhere near to success in reality especially in times of austerity and as the examples we have been shown are examples that some including myself feel are self-inflicted!
Does anybody actually think that The Press can overcome the unfairness of life in a capitalist society with the present situation?
A few bridges too far me thinks.
Mulgrave
says...
10:01am Wed 20 Feb 13
lowbeam wrote:Unless there are structural defects in the property, mould arises after water vapour has condensed on the walls or ceilings which are the coldest. One of the simplest ways to reduce the amount of water held in the air is to open the window a little as yorkiespur says and particularly if clothes are dried inside or after anything that produces steam. Even cooking with gas is a source of water vapour. Over the years I have come across alot more condensation problems in properties with upvc windows than those retaining the 'draughty' old wooden sash windows.
They can probably solve the mould and damp by opening the windows and letting some air circulate!!...
...Yes,what a good idea,let's all leave our windows open and let the rain and snow in..NOT
You Pil**ck!
openallhours
says...
10:13am Wed 20 Feb 13
Hopefully there aren't many cases of this type of thing as it could be costly for the tax payer.
electricwarrior
says...
11:13am Wed 20 Feb 13
Capt. Dobie
says...
11:23am Wed 20 Feb 13
No it isn't- I'm on the market for one. They cost at LEAST £150 and the Energy Savings Trust sez they use kWh like a tumble dryer...i.e., not cheap at all.
Also, mould spores once in the fabric of the building (i.e. a layer of plaster) are there until that contaminated plaster is removed. Ventilation does help if BALENCED with the need to heat the flat. Until the flat is re-plastered, spores remain.
Don't blame the nippers- they weren't asked to be born. Hillery's point 3 is spot-on; family planning. Advice & condoms are free.
Mulgrave
says...
11:34am Wed 20 Feb 13
Capt. Dobie wrote:It is a good point regarding the balance of ventilation and heating, too little heat and there are problems, but the warmer the air the more moisture it can hold, so an overheated room, especially if the temperature drops at night can be more of a problem.
"The mother will also find that a small dehumidifier costs far less to buy and run than the large TV in the photo..."
No it isn't- I'm on the market for one. They cost at LEAST £150 and the Energy Savings Trust sez they use kWh like a tumble dryer...i.e., not cheap at all.
Also, mould spores once in the fabric of the building (i.e. a layer of plaster) are there until that contaminated plaster is removed. Ventilation does help if BALENCED with the need to heat the flat. Until the flat is re-plastered, spores remain.
Don't blame the nippers- they weren't asked to be born. Hillery's point 3 is spot-on; family planning. Advice & condoms are free.
THE_JABINATOR
says...
12:08pm Wed 20 Feb 13
TheTruthHurts
says...
12:49pm Wed 20 Feb 13
“My family say it’s disgraceful. They say the council needs to start looking after families like mine and treating them as a priority.”
Donna, who admits she has rent arrears, said she was allocated the flat three years ago when she was a single mother to Lucas. She has since got together with Scott and given birth to Lee.
Just confirms it. What a sorry state we are in today
Kevin Turvey
says...
1:37pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Priority over who? People who contribute… I don’t think so!
What are the council to do?
They have already educated you but you have failed to take advantage of that education and fallen back to the human being default….. just breed, unnecessarily so!
Me me me me me me me me me me.
And I have to do nothing towards it myself!
Contribute nothing to society but take everything that is available and then moan that it is not enough!
What a state we are in if this is the future!
What sort of education system/society leaves people with life expectations so low and yet demand that they are taken care of?
No aspirations of attempting to try to get a job/career/own home/qualifications/
money/savings/travel
/social life/sporting achievements etc etc.
Only not looking forward to a life of poor drudgery living in a sh!thole council flat in a grim area with grim people.
Yet again self-inflicted!
Pete the Brickie
says...
1:43pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Capt. Dobie says...
11:23am Wed 20 Feb 13
"The mother will also find that a small dehumidifier costs far less to buy and run than the large TV in the photo..."
No it isn't- I'm on the market for one. They cost at LEAST £150 and the Energy Savings Trust sez they use kWh like a tumble dryer...i.e., not cheap at all.
I said small, not industrial, I bought one recently for £50 that removes 300ml a day from a 15m2 room using at 0.048KWH, a typical TV uses about 0.3KWH watts and a tumble dryer nearer 2. The twelve litre per day machines you refer to are for assisting the drying of large areas of new plaster or wet plaster following burst pipes and the like as opposed to preventing a few dark blobs of mould in a small flat caused by over occupancy.
alfie
says...
1:51pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Hilly rides Horses
says...
2:15pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Is that a can of special brew next to the computer?’
Looks suspiciously like one to me!
That’s not cheap lager!
Also have you seen the amount of toys lying about?
Loads, I never had many when I was a nipper and both of my parents worked!
Also what is the white box under the TV? Is that a sky box or similar?
Have a look at the other picture at the top of the ‘story’ of the example of the ‘damp patch’.
If you removed the paper in that area and the background paper it would not be there!
Also the curtain/nets want a run through the washing machine as well.
The whole lot of jobs would take almost a whole hour, nearly worth calling out the council to do for you!
If that is the extent of the so called damp in this property then it’s a poor example to sway the arguement!
Sorry, you are meant to have your heartstrings tugged because there is an extremely tenuous link (because she knew here) to a previous yet unattributed death!
The headline:
‘York Family’s Damp Curse’
Talk about twaddle!
In dictionary corner :- curse
the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc.
a formula or charm intended to cause such misfortune to another.
the act of reciting such a formula.
a profane oath; curse word.
an evil that has been invoked upon one.
It is all self-inflicted not somebody else’s will. Therefore can be remedied by self as well!
xxwitchyxx
says...
2:55pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Buzz Light-year
says...
3:40pm Wed 20 Feb 13
yorkiespur
says...
4:33pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Never contributed anything and expect everything done for them!
Lets all write to this woman and apologise, we're clearly not doing enough for her, perhaps i can give her some money directly, she clearly deserves it..... hhmmmmm
CAN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO REMOVE A CAN OF SPECIAL BREW FROM THE SIDE WHEN THE PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER IS COMING ROUND!!!! O. M. G.
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
5:43pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Damp is cured so simply as some suggest here so what's stopping the council?
No matter she's had two kiddies to different dads, its not a crime.
Mullarkian
says...
7:00pm Wed 20 Feb 13
They must be able to afford the benefits she'll get for being single with two sprogs.
She'll be knocking another one out to get more money soon.
She'll be wanting someone to go around and wipe her backside next.
They make you sick, always wanting something for nothing, put her in a tent.
Buzz Light-year
says...
9:44pm Wed 20 Feb 13
alfie wrote:Never mind that, look at that red tub next to the armchair!
Is that a can of special brew next to the computer?
It's got to be full of drugs paraphernalia and bomb-making equipment.
I bet she keeps the curtains closed in the daytime too.
Paul Meoff
says...
11:08pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Buzz Light-year wrote:Not sure if it is spesh. But what if it is? The kids need something to take their minds off the damp surroundings.
alfie wrote:Never mind that, look at that red tub next to the armchair!
Is that a can of special brew next to the computer?
It's got to be full of drugs paraphernalia and bomb-making equipment.
I bet she keeps the curtains closed in the daytime too.
Magicman!
says...
2:38am Thu 21 Feb 13
But there is also a low tech solution: PAPER TOWEL!!
THE BEAR!!!
says...
8:11am Thu 21 Feb 13
so, i rolled up my sleeves and i cleaned it. BANG, and the mould was gone. Then, after the big clean, i just kept on top of it....!!!!
I do hope you have tried to sort this out instead of your first reaction to be that of asking others to sort it for you. The reason this story is not getting the reaction you probably want is because people are just about fed up with everyone wanting hand-outs. earn your keep...
m dee
says...
9:09am Thu 21 Feb 13
"two quality TVs in the picture"?
Quality your joking.
openallhours says.
.".Single Mum with child takes a flat paid for by the tax payer"
Not sure you read the same article its a couple and if they have rent arrears they must pay rent.
Hilly rides Horses says..
." I see Lowbeam is here supporting the single mother"
Its a couple read again please.
"If you removed the paper in that area and the background paper it would not be there"
How is it a expert needs a device to detect the extent of the damp/mould yet you can do this just by looking at a picture?
"Also have you seen the amount of toys lying about?
Loads, I never had many when I was a nipper and both of my parents worked!"
Err why should the kids not have toys?
alfie says...
1:51pm Wed 20 Feb 13
"Is that a can of special brew next to the computer"?
Nothing like a can of special brew.
Interesting the press using the poverty issue on this they look ok other then lacking the knowledge/skills to deal with a damp/condensation problem.
nearlyman
says...
9:26am Thu 21 Feb 13
..........
Hilly rides Horses
says...
9:34am Thu 21 Feb 13
Interesting the press using the poverty issue on this they look ok other then lacking the knowledge/skills to deal with a damp/condensation problem.’
It’s not about lacking knowledge and skills more the attitude.
Skills and knowledge can be obtained if you are interested enough in your own life!
The lazy attitude is the problem and it’s a social disease within the benefits culture (and I mean something that grows in a petridish).
You can take somebody out of a council house but you cannot take the council house out of them!
Oxygen thieves, just breeding what will become yet more oxygen thieves!
accountess
says...
10:08am Thu 21 Feb 13
Why do some people think that the country owes them?
Kid number three will follow shortly.
It's the government's fault for making it easy.
Very few working seventeen year olds could afford to live independently.
Breed and you will be catered for.
lowbeam
says...
4:45pm Thu 21 Feb 13
williamssheri85
says...
11:04pm Thu 21 Feb 13
has any ever thought.. sometimes a pregnancy isn't planned....
also clearly a lot of you have not read this article properly. they obviously pay there rent as her partner works...
its very easy to get into arrears so don't think its very fair to judge on that one. (im pretty sure most if not all of you will have been at one point.)...
that can is not a special brew, if you look properly it is obviously a 69p cheapo energy drink...
i also didn't realize that people in council homes should not be allowed a tv, i got mine (a 42 inch) of freecycle and i live in s council house? is this the same issue then?
I also am disgusted at the comments that families with low income/council houses should not be allowed to have so many toys for there kids! clearly you are all a bit selfish and don't have kids as anyone who does would know that they would never let them go without. i personally think all the people having a go should live in her situation for a couple of months, see how you would like it!
williamssheri85
says...
11:04pm Thu 21 Feb 13
has any ever thought.. sometimes a pregnancy isn't planned....
also clearly a lot of you have not read this article properly. they obviously pay there rent as her partner works...
its very easy to get into arrears so don't think its very fair to judge on that one. (im pretty sure most if not all of you will have been at one point.)...
that can is not a special brew, if you look properly it is obviously a 69p cheapo energy drink...
i also didn't realize that people in council homes should not be allowed a tv, i got mine (a 42 inch) of freecycle and i live in s council house? is this the same issue then?
I also am disgusted at the comments that families with low income/council houses should not be allowed to have so many toys for there kids! clearly you are all a bit selfish and don't have kids as anyone who does would know that they would never let them go without. i personally think all the people having a go should live in her situation for a couple of months, see how you would like it!
nearlyman
says...
11:51pm Thu 21 Feb 13
, but we have a bit of pride and went out to work before we had the kids because we didnt think that we automatically had the right to expect everyone else to pay for our decision to have children. And yes, it was difficult, and the kids had to have second hand toys now and then,but we got there in the end..........its called being responsible for your actions and earning respect in your community.
yorkiespur says...
8:43am Wed 20 Feb 13
They can probably solve the mould and damp by opening the windows and letting some air circulate!!