A report by health campaign Health Equals says that one in four of us in the UK are living in homes that could make us ill due to conditions such as mould and damp.
The campaign, Health Equals, is a coalition of 85 organisations across different sectors dealing with public health. Its report, using images of a family wearing hazmat suits to protect from damp and mould conditions in thir house, says: “We shouldn’t need to wear protective clothing in our own home. Yet for one in four of us across the UK, the very places that should be a secure, stable and safe place to live in, are making us ill from issues like damp, cold and mould. These conditions are putting our wellbeing on the line:
- Damp and mould can trigger asthma attacks, worsen respiratory conditions, and cause infections that linger for weeks.
- The cold puts extra strain on our hearts and blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- For older people, it can mean slower recovery from illness. For children, it can lead to more time off school with coughs, colds and wheezing; and for adults, missed workdays and mounting stress.
“No one should have to suit up just to stay warm, dry, and healthy at home. Our absurd Hazmat Loungewear concept isn’t the answer. The real solution? Fixing unhealthy homes.”
The campaign opened with a bold stunt, taking over a shop window in Central London to spotlight ‘hazmat loungewear’ for the public.
Tougher
The report goes on to say: “Families on lower incomes are almost twice as likely to have to deal with damp or mould, and four times as likely to live in homes that are too cold. Private renters and people in social housing often have it even tougher — usually because of things they can’t control, like buildings that aren’t properly maintained, long waits for repairs, or not having the money to move somewhere better.
“Likewise, people living in homes with damp or other issues are often already vulnerable, coping with things like asthma or weaker immune systems. And almost half of the people affected by damp or mould have children, which means far too many kids are growing up in conditions that can really harm their health.
“Our homes are more than just four walls and a roof over our heads; they’re an essential building block for our health and wellbeing. When we live in safe, warm, and good-quality homes, it can add years to our lives.”
It goes on to say that The North West, West Midlands, East Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber have some of the highest reported rates of damp, cold, and mould, and a postcode checker enbcourages users to find out about conditions in their area.
Unsafe living conditions are damaging health, trapping families in cycles of illness and inequality. The government can take real, concrete action to change this.
The campaign is calling for a cross-government health inequalities strategy that puts health at the heart of government — from setting realistic but ambitious targets to reduce health inequalities to establishing clear roles for all departments to prioritise and restore the building blocks of health.
It means pushing for urgent action by the government to ensure everyone has the chance of a safe and healthy home for all, including:
- Enforcing the Decent Home Standard across all private rented homes before 2035 and applying Awaab’s Law so landlords must act quickly on life-threatening hazards
- Introducing a Warm Homes Plan to cut fuel poverty, improve warmth, and repair homes for those most in need
- Setting a clear, cross-government target to halve the number of ‘non-decent’ homes across all tenures and regions of the UK over the next decade
The campaign encourages readers to send an email to their MP, saying “it might feel like a small action, but it’s the first spark in a chain reaction — from inbox, to Parliament, to policy change…Right now, there’s a 10-year delay in applying decent home standards to private rented homes. That means living 10 more years in homes that make us sick…Get them to join our growing movement of change by joining our parliamentary champions network, and ask them to urge Ministers to make tackling damp, cold and mould a key part of a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities.”
Fabric
Television property guru and celebrity guest editor of Property & Home, Martin Roberts, who joined forces with the campaign group for this initiative, declared: “After more than two decades visiting thousands of homes across the UK, I’ve seen first-hand how damp, cold and mould can destroy both a property and the wellbeing of the people living in it.
“It’s not just unsightly, it’s in the very fabric of people’s properties as well as, more importantly, their health.
“Good housing is the foundation for good health. You can’t expect people to thrive if the very place they’re meant to feel safe is actually making them sick.
“That’s why I’m proud to support this campaign; because everyone deserves to live in a warm, dry, safe and healthy home.”
change.
“Stronger laws to make every landlord take responsibility, proper funding to repair homes, and a cross-government plan to make sure no one’s health is determined by their postcode or income.”
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