Couple opt to sleep in car due to mouldy transitional housing

Thursday, May 18th, 2023

A young Auckland couple living in transitional housing claim mould in the property has forced them to spend several nights in their car with a five-month-old baby.

The couple were living in emergency housing in Papakura, and after the baby was born they were transferred to a two-bedroom apartment in Māngere, but the cleanliness of the place became a concern.

“When we arrived there was mould everywhere, and it was really dirty on the couch, the curtains and the washing machine,” the male partner, 19, said.

Monte Cecilia Housing Trust manages the transitional home in Māngere, and it has 30 two-bedroom units capable of housing 120 families.

The couple claim they reached out to the Trust, who declined to clean anything telling the couple the mould marks were old and they should just put couch overs over it.

Monte Cecilia Trust Chief Executive Vicki Sykes said the trust could not comment on specific tenants’ situations due to privacy issues, but the trust was sorry about the items in the unit that were not up to the usual standard when the tenants moved in.

“There were a range of reasons for this, including wanting to house the young family as quickly as possible.

“We have since attended to most of the outstanding items and have a plan in place to complete the remaining ones. Our staff continue to be in contact with the family to provide support and advocacy.”

She said occasionally the trust could not complete all the cleaning and maintenance prior to a family moving in, especially in emergencies.

“In those cases, we make it a priority to get that completed as soon as we can.” Read more