The daughter of a poverty activist who committed suicide says her mother had been failed at every step.
According to a report, Karen McBride, 46, Greater Manchester, took her own life last August after years of struggling to improve living circumstances in her house in Tameside, Greater Manchester.
Codie, her daughter, said on Good Morning Britain that her mother’s death was caused in part by the incompetence of many different organizations. Codie said her mother had a tough time because of the ‘pressure’ of money caused by administrative mistakes in the housing system.
She had just moved into the residence when she learned that the housing benefit had made a mistake, leaving her behind on her rent payments. The error that she incurred by the council tax came later. At the same time, she was getting threatening letters from Jigsaw and had to live in a house unfit for human habitation.
According to Codie, her mother sent a complaint letter to Jigsaw expressing how the incident had made her feel powerless.
At the inquiry, it was revealed that she had been forced to wait until December 2019 to move in due to unfinished renovations and no running water or electricity. Codie testified about the house’s many problems, including the black mold that made them sick and caused black filth to flow out of their nostrils and the pigeons that had formed nests in the attic.
Codie gave descriptions of the house to the inquest.
She said a live wire dangled from the ceiling of the master bedroom, and there was dampness in two bedrooms. The wall was covered with black mold, and there was a hole in the floor through which you could see through to the outside. The roof and boiler leaked.
Ms. McBride’s body was discovered in her kitchen, where she had hung herself. The family claims she was unable to care for her own psychological well-being in the prior two years leading up to her death.
