Paravur: Rajesh and his wife Ajimol are left with barely a door to knock on in their desperate quest for a safe home. Their applications under the LIFE Mission and PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) housing schemes have gone unanswered. For seven years, the couple and their three children lived in a rundown hut made of iron rods and sheets on 5.75 cents of overgrown land.

Their troubles deepened when Rajesh and two of their children fell ill, dragging the family into a major financial crisis. When it became impossible to stay in the leaking, crumbling shelter with three children, they moved to a rented house a few months ago, one they now struggle to afford.

Their hut, in Thaannipadam under Ward 9 of Chittattukara panchayat, was erected by Rajesh, a welding worker, using salvaged materials after the roof of their original tiled house collapsed. The couple’s children, Sivajith, Sivaganga and Sivapriya, continue their education despite the odds. During the mega floods of 2018, the PTA of the children’s school had donated an LED television, but Ajimol had to refuse it, fearing it would be damaged in their leaky home.

When even the hut became unlivable during the rains, a single-room structure with a thin concrete slab was built with the help of a relative. But the shelter, too, soon became unsafe, forcing the family to shift to a rented place.

Rajesh, who became seriously ill after contracting COVID, suffered multiple collapses at work. He was diagnosed with blood clots, suspected to be a post-vaccine complication. He also has a spinal cord condition. After being jobless for a long time, he is now working as a driver.

Their elder son, Sivajith, now a polytechnic student, had to undergo prolonged treatment for an intestinal disorder that began in Class 9. Later, their daughter suffered a severe infection on the scalp that also required long-term treatment. Rajesh and his son are still under medical care.

With no means to build a home of their own, the family can only hope that someone with a generous heart will come forward to help them construct a small house on their plot of land.