Lansing family with mold-related health problems needs short-term housing

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Friday, April 16,2010

Lansing family with mold-related health problems needs short-term housing

by City Pulse

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-4216-lansing-family-with-mold-re\

lated-health-problems-needs-short-term-housing.html

A Lansing family of three needs a place to live for three weeks after being

forced to leave its apartment because of health problems related to mold

exposure.

Becker said that her two grown daughters and the son of one of her

daughters all suffer from a severe reaction to stachybotys, or black mold. She

said they have vacated the Lansing apartment in which they had lived for three

years because of it.

Becker said she also suffers from the illness, although not as severely as her

daughters, who are 34 and 29, and her grandson, who is 12.

Becker, 62, a Michigan native, said she was living with them. She needs housing

for just a few days, she said.

One daughter and her son are on disability because of the mold-related illness,

and the other daughter is seeking disability because of it, she said.

She said the family's resources are very limited. They are hoping someone will

provide them a place till stay until about May 7, when they may relocate to the

Southwest if they have not worked out a housing solution in the Lansing area.

" The Southwest is a very good environment for not producing mold, " she said.

Becker said the problems with mold began about 10 years ago in California, where

her daughters and grandson were living and where she would occasionally visit

them.

They had bought a house " where the mold problem in the basement was not apparent

because it had been all painted and updated. "

She said one daughter began having serious problems almost immediately, such as

black-outs, muscle twitching and shooting pains, causing hospitalization. Her

other daughter and grandson's problems came on more gradually.

They moved to Lansing in 2006. About three years ago they moved into a new

apartment complex in Lansing.

She said they did mold testing on the apartment before moving in and thought it

was mold-free. It was fine for about two years, she said. Last year, however,

the family began developing mold problems again.

Becker called the illness a " hidden epidemic. Anyone can be affected. "

She said he has had to leave two jobs in Lansing because they were in buildings

with mold.

She said the illness has a " double whammy " : " You lose your health and the place

where you should be recuperating. "

Becker said she and her family are members of Kehillat Israel, whose rabbi is

trying to find housing for them.

Anyone interested in helping Becker and her family should e-mail her at

juliabecker@....