Two WA baby boys with homeless parents tragically die within weeks of each other
Two baby boys whose parents had been homeless and desperately seeking accommodation support have died within weeks of one another.
In both cases The West Australian has been told it is suspected the babies died of accidental suffocation while they were staying with their parents at overcrowded properties.
The tragic deaths put further pressure on the State Government’s response to the housing crisis, as family members of the infants have questioned whether the children would still be alive if stable housing had been provided.
In the first case, baby Kenneth, who was 10 months old, died in Mullewa in the State’s Mid West on July 31.
His mother Crystal, who requested their last names not be published, said she had been homeless most of her adult life, but had done everything she could to try and get housing when she fell pregnant last year.
She was on a Department of Communities’ priority wait list for social housing but was told it might take years to be allocated a property.
She and her son had been moving between relatives’ homes at Geraldton, Bunbury, Perth and Mullewa and had at times slept in her car. When Kenneth died they had been sleeping together in a bed at a relative’s home.
She said he had become tangled in a blanket and suffocated while he was sleeping. There had been no space in the property for a cot.
“We couldn’t even have a cot for him the only thing I owned was my car, the only thing my son owned of his own was his car seat,” she said.
“I honestly believe that things might have been a lot different if we had our own house.
“I definitely think it impacted because I like to live a certain way. I would like to have things in order and via moving around and living the way we did you’re only limited to a certain amount of space.”
She said she had tried to put her son’s needs first at all times, stocking up on extra food for him which she kept in the car. She regularly visited doctors, who had also written letters in support of her housing needs, she said.
One letter written by housing advocate Betsy Buchanan to the Department of Communities and Housing and Homelessness Minister John Carey in March had warned of health risks to the family.
“Crystal phoned me seeking help as she is sleeping in a car with a five-month-old baby, who is becoming ill owing to homelessness,” Ms Buchanan wrote in a letter sent in March.
In a second tragic case, a five-month-old baby boy died in Perth on August 16. Relatives said it was believed he had suffocated on a blow-up mattress.
The baby’s paternal grandmother, who asked not to be named, said there had been recent contact with Communities and she had told its workers the parents needed housing.
She said the baby had been beautiful and the family were heartbroken at his loss.
The boy’s great-grandmother Barbara Abraham said their whole family was in dire need of housing.
She is living in an overcrowded Communities’ property, where she cares for about six of her grandchildren.
They are currently fighting a termination notice from the department.
How do they expect us to live respectable and decent lives when we can’t get into a place? she said.
Ms Buchanan, who knows both families, was scathing of Communities response and questioned why given the increase of government funding there were still families with children who were without housing.
In both cases, the families were First Nations, and Ms Buchanan said the Department was failing to appropriately respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who face disproportionate levels of homelessness in WA.
“It’s hard to take care of a child when you don’t have a house the Government gives (Communities) huge amounts of money. Nothing changes because the housing bureaucracy just does not recognise closing the gap,” she said.
Mr Carey said he acknowledged “the grief both these families must be experiencing at this sad time”.
“I’m advised by the Department of Communities that neither of these families were sleeping rough at the time of these tragic deaths and were staying with family members,” he said.
“Every applicant on the priority public housing waitlist has a demonstrated priority need.
“The State Government funds a range of support services, including homelessness services that can assist vulnerable people in need.”
A department spokesperson said Crystal was near the top of the waitlist and a suitable property had been identified for her.
“She will shortly be contacted by Communities to arrange an inspection,” the spokesperson said.
“Due to individual medical records being private and confidential, the Department of Communities has no access, or ability to comment on the cause or circumstances regarding infant deaths,” they said.
“It is important to note homelessness is not a cause of death. Comments on health complications associated with premature birth should be directed to the relevant agencies. Communities strive to meet the housing needs of all applicants on the waitlist for public housing at the earliest possible opportunity.”
WA Police confirmed both deaths were being treated as non-suspicious and reports were being prepared for the Coroner.
Red Nose Grief and Loss 24/7 Support Line 1300 308 307
Source: News
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