Stains and mould marked the furniture in the young couple's house. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
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 was 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.
Nineteen-year-old Victoria* said after her landlord put their rental in Papakura up for sale, she and her partner David* had to seek help with emergency housing to shelter their five-month-old daughter.
"Our emergency housing was great, but small. We needed more space for [the] baby, so the only place they had was this unit here in Māngere," Victoria said.
Before signing the tenancy agreement for the transitional unit, the couple had only seen pictures of the place, they said.
There were dirty stains and mould on the carpets. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
"When we arrived there was mould everywhere, and it was really dirty on the couch, the curtains and the washing machine," David, 19, said.
"Even the crockery they supplied to us, it seemed like they literally just rinsed it, instead of properly washing it.
"They knew we needed a big space for [the] baby, that's what we told them when we were in emergency housing, and they probably just gave us whatever they had," Victoria said.
The transitional home in Māngere is managed by Monte Cecilia Housing Trust, and it has 30 two-bedroom units capable of housing 120 families.
David said the couple tried to reach out to the trust.
"They have declined to clean anything, they said if they clean it wouldn't rectify the problem. They say the mould marks were old and we should just put couch covers on it.
"We just didn't think it would be safe for the baby."
The couple said they went to local MPs and the Ministry of Social Development, but the delay in hearing possible solutions kept them sleeping on friend's couches or their own vehicle.
"I reckon it's more safer than it is here, so basically we have nowhere to stay," Victoria said.
The couple said the transitional housing unit was full of dirty furniture and mould. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
'Serious health concern' - specialist
According to a survey undertaken in 2015 by Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ) more than half of New Zealand rental houses had visible mould, often caused by moisture issues in the home.
University of Otago's Professor Caroline Halley said mould inside homes posed a serious health concern.
"Indoor mould can be associated with asthma symptoms, particularly in that younger age group, that sort of (first) thousand days of a child's life."
She said if not cleaned properly, mould could still cause breathing problems.
"If it's on a carpet or in the back of curtains, for example, if it's old and it hasn't been well cleaned then the spores and the fragments of fungi bits in there can actually break off and still be inhaled and still be an irritant."
The housing was left dirty and with rubbish in it after the previous tenants. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
'More advocacy needed' - Youth advocate
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said as of March 2023, there were 5849 places available for families receiving support to transition into long-term housing.
The ministry said only approved social service providers managed transitional housing and they were responsible for making sure properties were warm, dry and well-maintained.
Aaron Hendry had been working with vulnerable rangatahi for many years, and said young people found the housing system difficult to navigate.
"There can be a lot of fear at times for some vulnerable young people when communicating, [fear] to say 'hey, here are my rights, here is the housing and it's not up to standard and that's what needs to be done'.
"And that can be a communication breakdown between them and the landlord, which for some people could be easily resolved, but for young people can be really hard."
More advocacy support was needed, especially for young people, Hendry said.
"The difference between a young person seeking support or trying to navigate these situations by themselves and doing so with an advocate is that often they get far more success when they have a third party, a youth worker who is able to come alongside and objectively support them and translate what's happening to them in their own language."
'We aim to ensure good quality homes' - trust
Through a statement, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said it expected that transitional housing providers ensure their properties are cleaned and repaired as required when the property is vacant, before it is occupied again.
"We anticipate that expectations around cleanliness are clearly communicated to the occupier by the provider when they move in."
It said concerns around cleanliness needed to be raised with the provider in the first instance.
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 was not able to complete all the cleaning and maintenance prior to a family moving in, especially in emergency situations.
"In those cases, we make it a priority to get that completed as soon as we can."
Sykes said the trust provided housing for 625 families and aimed to ensure every property was at a good quality standard when handing it over.
"It can be challenging for families who may have spent some time on the MSD Housing Register and been living in difficult conditions, to then be allocated a home that is not the kind of property they had in mind or in the area they wanted.
"Added to that are the usual changes that come with being new parents."
She said the trust would continue to work with the family to support them in the allocated unit, while exploring options with other providers for a transfer to a unit in the area they want to live in.
"We're also reviewing our procedures to see what improvements we can make."
*Names changed to protect privacy