A WATER leak in single-mother Danielle’s Melba public-housing home has caused “countless” power surges, resulting in her losing three fridges, two kettles, a bread maker and a vacuum cleaner since moving in four years ago.

But it was her October quarterly power bill of $2500 that became the last straw in Danielle’s fight against Housing ACT.

“I’m exhausted, my friends say I am just a shell of the person I used to be,” she says.

“I got the keys to this place on Halloween four years ago, and from the day I moved in there have been problems.

“Initially, I thought fair enough, it hadn’t been lived in for 18 months, but I soon realised there were bigger issues.”

Danielle says the bathroom is just the start of her problems.

“The shower wall is bowed, I’ve had the spirit level out as proof,” she says.

“From when I moved in, the wood around the shower had rotted leaving a hole into the floor below, which leads out to our linen cupboard and carpet.

“Water is running under the floor, up our hallway, and there is water in the walls as well from the shower.

“It is a double whammy really, and leads into my room.”

Because the house is always wet, Danielle says she needs to keep her bedroom window open always to help slightly with the smell and the dampness.

“The window just has to stay open, or it smells like sewage,” she says.

“My clothes don’t stay dry, my bed will go moldy so I have to wash my bedding twice a week, there is just so much moisture sitting around.

“It has resulted in us getting black mold growing outside now, too.”

Danielle says she can’t have family over because of it.

“My grandma doesn’t come over because she got sick last time,” she says.

“She’s in her mid-80s, I don’t want to be the cause of her death.

“My nieces and nephews have stopped coming over because it’s not safe, people are embarrassed to have their car seen here.”

Danielle says she initially blamed her children and their friends when she received the October power bill.

“It was such a dramatic spike,” she says.

“I went and looked for a hydroponic setup, that was the only thing I thought could make logical sense, but of course, they hadn’t.

“You can’t even use that much power by always having the heater on.”

In July last year, Danielle says, the house was condemned by the Growth and Renewal Program.

“It should have meant no one could live here, and it should have been knocked down,” she says.

“The inspector actually vomited, not once, not twice, but three times through his visit here, and that was before it got to this point.

“But there has been no communication about it since.

“In fact, they are now telling me I damaged the bathroom. Another inspector came, she was supposed to phone me, but I went out quickly because I hadn’t received the call.

“She came while I was out, and told my daughter that I had taken to the bathroom with a broom handle, as if that is something people do to get a bathroom upgrade.

“I don’t even want a bathroom upgrade, I like this layout, I just want some maintenance done to stop the leaks and mold.”

Danielle says she has lost count of how many times she’s made complaints over the four years.

“I’m a single mother, I work full-time and I am exhausted,” she says.

“I have spammed [Minister Yvette] Yvette Berry, and [Liberal MLA] Mark Parton. Elizabeth Kikkert’s office has been the most productive, and I’ve emailed [senators] Lydia Thorpe and Jacinta Price, their offices have actually helped, too.

“I keep hearing that other people are getting work done through Housing, even in my nearby area. I can’t even get a shower head replaced. It took 14 days after I was told it would be just four hours, and I ended up going to Bunnings and doing it myself.

“Everyone I have spoken to or heard about that is getting help, is white. I’m Aboriginal, that is the only thing I can put it down to.

“I have sent emails now to Housing, asking if they will finally be happy when my kids and I, an Aboriginal family, die because of the house.”

Housing ACT minister Yvette Berry was contacted for comment, but “CityNews” has not received a response.

“CityNews” has agreed to withhold Danielle’s surname.