The family says mould in the apartment is also causing issues because they have a baby and health issues. They fled the violence in Ukraine after a rocket hit near to their house.
A family of Ukrainian refugees has requested to leave high-rise apartments because their autistic kid is afraid of the elevators, their house has mould, and they require additional room because of special needs.
Hassan, who is seven years old, clings to his mother’s hand in the lift every day because he is so terrified of the trip from school to their eleventh-floor apartment.
The family also have seven month old baby daughter who sleeps in a bedroom with mould while dad Firas, 57, has Crohn’s disease and struggles to walk on stairs in the overcrowded flat.
“He grabs my hand and is trembling – he is scared and I can’t help him,” mother Reem, 43, described Hassan’s response to the lift at the Bellahouston tower block.
“They have been trying to fix it but it keeps coming back,” Reem stated in reference to the mould in the kitchen and on the wall of the bedroom. The demands of our family make it challenging. I am aware that housing is an issue in the entire nation. However, a remedy must undoubtedly exist.
The Wheatley Group, a housing association, stated that they are making every effort to assist the family, who moved in with them in January, including acting swiftly to cure the mould.
Another problem is that Reem has to run up and down stairs because he wakes up a lot at night, and Hassan has to sleep on a different floor of the two-bedroom apartment.
The couple is aiming to move to a new social housing flat in the vicinity, preferably on the first or ground floor, with three bedrooms on the same floor and two bathrooms.
Due to his chronic sickness, Dad Firas has to use the loo a lot.
Because Hassan has autism, their kids are unable to share a bedroom.
When the family fled the war in Ukraine for Glasgow in 2022 they lived on a ship for three and a half months before being moved to the flat at 40 Dumbreck Court beside Bellahouston Park last year.
Reem said: “I am happy with the support we have received and to be in a safe place and with my son’s education. The school is really good so we really want to stay in this area. We are very grateful. I don’t want to complain but moving from Ukraine has been very hard especially having a child with special needs.
“Six months ago a rocket landed next to our home in Ukraine – and the windows are gone.”
Faten Hameed, of the Scottish Iraqi Association said: “Housing has failed the family. The family are grateful that Britain has accommodated them and provided a safe haven but when we bring people here we need to meet their needs. The family have two medical conditions. They are in need of help.”
A Wheatley Homes Glasgow spokesperson said: “We weren’t made aware of any medical concerns when the family became tenants with us in January. We’re doing all we can to help them find a move to a larger home which now meets their needs.
“We’ve carried out repairs in the flat, including being out quickly to treat the small traces of mould
When our teams returned to the house today, they discovered that the air vents were closed and that tape had been applied to the window seals, which resulted in moisture.
“A date for these repairs has been set, and we will keep working with the family to find a larger ground floor or first floor home.”
Glasgow is currently facing a housing shortage and the council declared a housing emergency last year.
Leave a Reply