A Birmingham mother of two young children has exposed the appalling conditions in a city hostel where she has been living for over a year, including rats, cockroaches, and human faeces, after being placed there by the council.
Mother's Ordeal in Perry Barr Hostel
Pub worker Dominique Trapszo, 31, has been sharing videos of rats scurrying across a dirty kitchen floor, dozens of cockroaches caught in a trap, and piles of litter thrown from windows at her shared accommodation in Perry Barr. She and her children, aged eight and three, have been in temporary housing for two years after her landlord evicted her to sell the property.
The family was initially housed in an 'ant-infested' hotel on Hagley Road but were moved after complaining in August last year. However, their new housing—a former student complex converted into a hostel for homeless families—has proven 'much worse'.
Health and Safety Concerns
Ms Trapszo claims her daughter developed ringworm, a fungal infection often transmitted from animals, as a direct result of the filthy conditions. 'It's 100 per cent worse than the ant infestation,' she said. 'I've got rats, mice and cockroaches, I've got evidence of it all. I was moved straight away from Hagley Road but here, I've sent pictures, videos, all the evidence of rats in my cupboard in the kitchen, all they've said is "put your food in containers."'
She described finding at least 50 cockroaches in a trap in her room, rats entering her daughter's changing bag, and a rat still alive in a trap screaming. 'The rats and mice are crawling over stuff. Their wee is very dangerous to young children,' she added.
Council Response and Complaints Ignored
Despite being in Band A priority for housing, Ms Trapszo says she can rank anywhere from 16th to 100th on the waiting list. She has been complaining for over a year about the issues but feels ignored. On one occasion, she found human faeces on the staircase. When reported, staff placed a 'wet floor sign' over it as no cleaners were available on the weekend.
'There are no cleaners on weekends, it's disgusting,' she said. 'I've got pictures of chicken bones on the floor and people constantly prop the doors open, no wonder there's rats.'
Racial Abuse and Assault
Ms Trapszo also claims she was racially abused and called a 'white b****' after confronting anti-social behaviour outside the property. She says a teenage girl also took money from her son, pinning him down with another girl. No further action was taken by police because the teen was a minor.
'I understand the council don't have any properties at the moment but the place I'm in, I feel I can't do it anymore. I need something clean and safe for my children,' she said. 'That's two years now I've been placed in a room with my two children. There's no room, my children can't sleep, there's constantly noise from other families, kids smashing things up at 3am. My mental health is really bad. I feel like I can't move on and progress with my kids.'
Birmingham City Council has been contacted for comment.
