Inside Suffolk's building safety crisis: The impacts on mental health and wellbeing
Affected leaseholders are experiencing anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts
The building safety crisis in Suffolk has left a widespread impact on the mental health of affected leaseholders, according to a report from the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.
Yesterday, we told you the stories of a man trapped in a home he doesn't want to live in and of a woman set to spend Christmas in the dark of a shrink-wrapped building.
A common thread through those conversations were the stresses the crisis had on the mental health of leaseholders and residents. A report published by Dr Jenny Preece from the centre has highlighted how serious the impacts of the crisis have been.
"Some of the people we talked to were experiencing anxiety and depression and were receiving treatment for those conditions from their GPs. Others had also experienced suicidal feelings or someone in their household had, and they've had to seek crisis intervention for that", she tells us.
The report interviewed 32 leaseholders from across the country, including in Suffolk. Dr Preece lists the main causes of anxiety and depression in leaseholders: " Actually living in a building that you feel is dangerous and unsafe has a negative impact on people's mental health and their perceptions of home.
"For most people we spoke to, the biggest driver of problems was the financial side of things and the potential remediation bills into the tens of thousands of pounds which people had no way of of paying.
"Those were the kind of sort of key drivers I think alongside that loss of control over key life decisions and so that's kind of driving these negative emotional outcomes."
Her report goes on to explain that for some respondents, their self-perception and view of wider society and their place in it was challenged as a result of being caught up in the scandal.
"Some of the leaseholders felt a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment at being caught up in this, because a lot of the issues of financial and sometimes culturally there is a stigma associated with that.
"But actually, it's really important that the message for leaseholders is that they haven't done anything wrong. There is no shame in this, and it's not their fault."
This is why, she believes, it is key that the UK Government intervene and help ease leaseholders' concerns over having to pay not just huge costs of remediation but also the rising costs of insurance and interim safety measures like fire alarms and fire safety patrols.
"These negative health outcomes are only likely rarely to get worse as the crisis drags on without resolution. That's why it's so important that we get a resolution to some of the issues around funding for remediation work to make sure there's a comprehensive solution that will work for all leaseholders."
For affected leaseholders, she says, "I would advise anybody struggling to seek support from their GP. There's no shame in speaking out about these problems. Don't suffer alone and in silence, but get that help and and and speak out."
"We know that there's a lot of pressure on mental health services, so one of the positive things that we found was that GPs were recognizing the severity of these impacts and people were able to kind of access help when needed."
She also praises the role that leasehold campaign groups have played. "Many of the people we spoke to felt that being part of these groups provided a sense of solidarity, that they weren't alone, and that actually they hadn't done anything wrong, and weren't at fault for being caught up in this crisis
"It provided a sense of togetherness and that this idea that you can kind of work together to try and achieve change."
A spokesperson from the Department of Levelling Up, Communities says, “It is unacceptable and unfair that leaseholders are facing excessive bills – they are innocent parties in this and we recognise the impact it can have on their mental health.
"Most blocks of flats are safe and do not need expensive works - and we continue to drive extreme risk aversion out of the market, by encouraging a more proportionate, evidence-based approach from lenders and insurers.
"Our Building Safety Bill, which marks the biggest improvements to building safety in 40 years – will bring more rights and protections for residents, and make homes safer across the country.”