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The truly awful case of Awaab Ishak's death has shocked the country. It has shown the terrible consequences when damp and mould is not dealt with properly. The coroner's report has highlighted a number of failings from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, and it is our responsibility as a sector to ensure these mistakes do not happen again and we make necessary changes. PlaceShapers will be proactive in that.
Matthew Walker, chair of PlaceShapers, said: “The death of Awaab Ishak is a tragedy that should never have happened. Everyone deserves a decent home and for their voice to be heard. Nothing can alleviate the pain of Awaab’s parents and family. But as a sector we must double down in our efforts to ensure lessons are learned and no family ever experiences this again.”
As PlaceShapers, we are taking action which we show below.
Better Social Housing Review
We are part of the advisory group to the independent Better Social Housing Review whoses finding are imminent. We hope to hold an event in early December and share the recommendations to help ensure swift action from our members when it is published.
Network collaboration
Members are collaborating to share insight and best practice. Our first session is on Tuesday 29 November with more sessions planned. We hope to run two further events in December. The first will be to reflect on the Better Social Housing Review. The second will be to discuss racism and diversity in our sector, exploring some of the really shocking allegations Awaab Ishak’s family made.
Network training and support
We are also looking at what member training and support we can offer as a network. Working with the Energy Saving Trust, we are initially focusing on communications around damp and mould, ranging from staff understanding and awareness through to resident communication.
