The dust had barely settled on Awaab Ishak's inquest and the nation was finally talking about the tragedy the Manchester Evening News has been reporting on for three months. Photos of the toddler playing outside featured on the front pages of national newspapers, radio phone-ins grappled with the topic of mould and the Housing Secretary had piled pressure on Rochdale Boroughwide Housing's (RBH) chief executive.
Awaab's death was already having an impact. But among the residents living on the Freehold estate, where the toddler's killer lurked on walls and ceilings, there was anger.
As soon as the Manchester Evening News returned to the estate on Wednesday, a man approached. Exasperated, he wanted to show us the letter Freehold tenants like him had been sent, from RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick.
The tenant, who asked not to be named, believed the housing association was trying to create a good impression of the estate for visiting journalists in the aftermath of Awaab's inquest. "I was furious when I got it," he said.
He wasn't the only person who felt that way or who showed the M.E.N. their copy of the letter. The tenant had his own issues with mould on the other side of his front door, which he admitted were 'not as bad as the little boy's'.
The tenant, a painter and decorator by trade, described efforts from RBH staff to paint over the affected area. "It's going to keep on recurring," he said.
"With certain oil-based paints you can hide it away and paint it for a bit," he said. "But after a while it will come back."
'It took a boy to die and the news to get involved'
The M.E.N. caught up with two of the families who shared their stories back in the summer. In their cases, RBH had begun the necessary repair work their homes needed. Anacleto and Marlene Cassandra live on the estate with their two young daughters, Zoe and Yasmine.
The family were affected by damp and mould in their front bedrooms. Their eldest daughter, Yasmine, has lived with asthma since she was less than a year old.
Following the M.E.N. 's investigation in the summer, Anacleto says the housing association finally came out to deal with the mould problem they had been battling for years. A new fan was installed in the bathroom and work was lined up to improve ventilation elsewhere in the property.
"After everything you did they started looking after us," he told the M.E.N. "It's sad that a life was lost. It's not easy for people in bad housing conditions."
Vilma Lavres, who captured the heartbreaking moment her son Gabriel was about to be taken to hospital suffering bronchiolitis as a baby, also spoke of work that had finally been agreed for her home by RBH to deal with her damp and mould. Vilma's daughter, Laura, had also suffered breathing difficulties when she was younger.
At its worst, she says her kitchen wall 'was black' with mould, while bedrooms would 'smell' with water 'coming down the wall to the floor'. RBH carried out mould treatment works to the property in November 2020 and installed additional ventilation two months later, but further work is now about to take place to install a new fan, Vilma says.
It's always good to secure a win for a reader - but there are others who still need improvements carried out to their homes. One Ilminster resident who featured in the investigation anonymously told the M.E.N. she was now going through a legal disrepair claim for her property.
"I think everyone has had enough now," she said. "It took a boy to die and the news to get involved."
She had moved into her home three months after Awaab died. At the time there was thick black mould in parts of her property, including the boiler cupboard.
"It took them six months until I said it was illegal what they were doing," she had previously told the M.E.N. "It caused me breathing issues as it went on."
RBH had sent workers to clear the mould over the course of 'several visits' before the tenant spoke to the M.E.N. Yesterday, she said further work had taken place at her home, but she was not pleased with the condition it was left in.
Following our investigation, Freehold tenants past and present came forward with their experiences of damp and mould. A mum-of-three, who asked not to be named, said: "They tell you to open the windows but there's no window in the bathroom or the toilet."
Her youngest child, aged two when she spoke the M.E.N. in August, had a 'bad chest' - while her middle child, aged four, had severe bronchiolitis when he was younger. "We can't let him sit in the bath for longer than 10 minutes because of damp on the ceiling," she said.
'We could be the next ones, nobody knows'
Another family described how they had made 55 bids for other properties while living at Freehold over the past six years, being unsuccessful on every occasion. Mum-of-two Antana Navaneethan, who herself has suffered with chest pains, spoke to the M.E.N. again this week.
She says her whole family suffers 'really bad difficulty breathing'. Her husband, Navaneethan Kanapathipilcai, has slept on the living room floor for the past five years while 10-year-old daughter Thushaknaa sleeps in the same room as her.
Her 15-year-old son, Kiruththiksan, lives in a bedroom with stubborn damp and mould. She had attempted to clean off the mould yet again earlier this week, after her son's bedding had 'turned to mould'.
Just as Awaab's family had been blamed for the conditions in their home, Antana says her family is given advice that simply doesn't help. "They say we don't keep the windows open, but we do," she said.
"We don't even hang our clothes to dry inside - in the winter we take it to a laundrette. We do our best."
Damp and mould also affects the family's kitchen and bathroom, and Antana says the situation has affected her daughter's favourite hobby. "My daughter is out of breath, she finds it difficult to swim because she can't hold her breath for as long," she said.
Antana has previously attended A&E with problems to do with her chest. The entire family uses inhalers.
"I hadn't heard about [Awaab] until it was in the M.E.N. ," she said in August. "My friend brought the newspaper round and said 'you have to take immediate action to move out'.
"We could be the next ones, nobody knows. I really don't want to lose anyone at all. The shortness of breath is really difficult. Health and safety is really important for us and I'm really worried about my children. They would like to live in a nice place, it makes a difference."
Ivana Tonga, 19, has lived in her apartment on the estate all her life. Her family of five, including her youngest one-year-old sister share a three bedroom apartment.
She told the Mirror her family was given a 'leaflet' when they raised concerns about the issue. “The mould was spreading across the carpet and we had to replace the floor," she said.
"The bathroom ceiling is still covered in mould. We’ve had to repaint the ceiling. It has been bad as long as we have been here."
'I would never have moved here if I knew what it was like'
Anne-Marie Scoble, 53, lives alone in an apartment with recurrent damp throughout. She said: “Since I moved in here two and a half years ago my lungs have been really bad. I wake up at night feeling like I am choking.
“I clean the mould but it comes back. This is the worst place I’ve lived. I am on a waiting list to move and I can’t wait.”
Another mum who spoke to the M.E.N. following the original investigation described her family's battle to tackle mould every year for the past 36 she has lived on Freehold, while one parent who had lived on the estate for two years explained how she dealt with damp herself and the situation has so far improved. Her young boy also had bronchiolitis when he was born, and she is keen to look after his health.
"They don't care," she said. "They put us in s*** houses and expect us to live. I would never have moved here if I knew what it was like. The community is alright but it's just the flats."
A spokesperson for RBH said: "We have visited every home in Freehold to carry out a survey of each flat to check for damp or mould issues. As a result of these surveys, we are spending over £1.2m installing positive input ventilation units in each flat on Freehold to improve air quality, circulation and to reduce the possibility of condensation and mould.
“These works will also involve installing new extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom. This contract is in place now and the programme of work starts on December 5, 2022.
“We would ask anyone with any concerns about damp or mould to please contact us on 0800 027 7769. We have visited Ana, Vilma, Antana, Ivana and Anne-Marie and surveyed their properties. Some work has already been carried out and additional necessary work has been scheduled.”
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