Colleen Nguyen and her husband own a spacious, 4,000-square-foot brick home in the Little Neck area. But they and their three children live in an RV parked in the driveway.

They’ve lived there for four weeks, after a doctor recommended they leave their home because of health problems they believe were caused by Chinese-made drywall.

The children’s nose bleeds have stopped, Nguyen said. And her 11-year-old daughter’s strep throat has finally healed.

Now they’re trying to figure out what to do next.

“I have to tell my children they can’t go back in their house again,” she said. “They want their stuffed animals, and I can’t give them to them because no one can tell me if it’s safe.”

Homeowners in several states have filed complaints about the drywall, saying it emits a corrosive gas that causes breathing problems and damages electrical systems.

Nguyen said she knows of at least 60 affected homeowners in Hampton Roads. Several lawsuits have been filed in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

“I feel like time is running out,” Nguyen said. “We don’t know what the next step should be for our families because we can’t afford the next step. No one can afford to pay for the house, pay rent and pay to fix the house at the same time.”

In an effort to find help, Nguyen invited U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk, to tour her home Saturday, pointing out eroded electrical outlets and the home’s acidic odor. Afterward, Nye met with other affected homeowners at a nearby church. Members of the media were not allowed to attend.

Nye promised to work to bar imports of toxic drywall and find relief for the Nguyen s and families like them.

“Obviously it’s a serious problem when you can’t live in your home,” he said. “This is a problem we’ve got to get on top of.”

Nguyen said she was glad that their plight was getting some attention, but doesn’t know if help can come quickly enough.

“The government needs to decide who’s responsible,” she said. “We do not have the means to wait five to 10 years for the lawsuit.”

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