By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

A MOTHER living in government-assisted housing in the Kemp Road area is deeply disturbed by her living conditions.

Abigail Moss-Rolle, 38, has been living in the government rental units on Sutton Street since February 2015.

Her home has many issues, including a major leak, an infestation of vermin, broken windows, overgrown weeds and monkey tamarind.

In an interview with The Tribune, Ms Rolle described the problems with her home and the lack of assistance she has received, despite the fact that rent is automatically deducted from her weekly salary— leaving her with only $30 a week to provide for her family.

Ms Rolle is a 12-year Social Services employee who is also studying for an associate’s degree at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute.

A mother of four, she lives in her three-bedroom, one bath, two-storey home with her 16-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son.

Taking The Tribune on a tour of her apartment, Ms Rolle pointed out the numerous issues, starting with the kitchen.

The front window has been broken since Hurricane Matthew. She has been asking for it to be repaired, to no avail.

“I had to put the fridge by the window to stop people from intruding in the night-time. It’s unsafe,” she said.

“And I told them about the window because I have a 16-year-old daughter in here.”

Ms Rolle added she sleeps by the front door as added protection.

Other windows in the home have been broken, with no handles, since she moved in back in 2015.

“And it’s very hot up here… but due to one or two financial situations I wasn’t able to afford a fan,” Ms Rolle added.

The plumbing is also a major problem in the home.

“The toilet always acting up, the face bowl was just clog up.

“The water (gets stuck) up here. When we take a shower or bathe, it doesn’t go out, and it runs downstairs under the kitchen sink and it runs all about.”

The leak causes the water to run into her bedroom, which has caused the door to swell, warp, and no longer work properly.

It has also stained the tiles and caused mould in the home.

Ms Rolle said she has to put her own blanket on the ground to soak up the water.

The water also has a strange scent, she said.

“I don’t know if it’s coming from the bathroom tub or if it’s coming from the toilet bowl.”

Because of the leak, which has been going on for two months, everyone in the home is limited to two-minute showers.

The leak has also damaged the Formica on the kitchen table and cupboards.

“The water lift it up and start to tear it away. It swell it just like how it swell the door.”

Insects now hide in these spaces, Ms Rolle said. “Big roaches. All the cupboards, everything full, roach crawling all over the place.

“You can’t save nothing because the roach will actually bite through everything. So we put everything in the fridge.”

Centipedes, mice, and cankerworms are other vermin in the home.

“It’s very hazardous for me in here,” she said.

Furthermore, there is an electrical problem in the house. The plugs are not working and an electrical issue caused problems with the water heater, which also has a leak.

“They haven’t fixed it, the only thing they fix was the breaker,” Ms Rolle said.

“They say they took the hot water heater off the breaker, the 15 amp and put it on its own amp by itself.

“The electrician that was here say it was a major malfunction because I keep on having glitches.”

Outside, the yard is overrun with overgrown weeds and monkey tamarind.

“No-one weed the yard from last year April. They normally have people weed the yard every two weeks and take the garbage to the road. No one came to weed the yard. The monkey tamarind is rude.

“I can’t even get to the line to hang up my clothes because the weed is… so high and the monkey tamarind is everywhere.”

When asked what she would say to government officials regarding her housing situation, Ms Rolle said she feels “robbed”.

“Every week $75 is deducted out my $220, besides my bank payment is $106 and my insurance. So I leave with $30.12 balance.”

Although she receives $147 a month in grocery coupons to get food for her family, Ms Rolle still struggles, and knows her circumstances affect her children.

“You know they can’t go to Fun Day, can’t afford to pay dress up for them, we are not on no health insurance, no medical, no nothing.”

She said her daughter doesn’t complain, but Ms Rolle says she communicates her disappointment nonverbally.

“She says it with her eyes when there’s no lunch and no bus and we have to walk to and fro all the time. Sees her mother crying about stuff, (but) the people are not helping. They’re just delinquent, dragging their foot where we are concerned.

“I barely could afford lunch for my kids. So I feel helpless and hopeless. But I have a job.”

Attempts to reach officials from the Department of Social Services were unsuccessful up to press time.