Dublin City Council failing mother and children facing homelessness, Aontú rep says

Aontú’s spokesperson on homelessness, Sarah Beasley has said it is “unbelievable” that Dublin City Council will stand by as a mother of three young children, one of whom who has Down Syndrome, are made homeless.

Speaking today, Beasley said that the council must to do more to ensure the family does not fall into homelessness.

“In recent days I’ve spoken to a lady called Natasha White, a mother of three young children, the youngest being only five years of age, and the older two having Downs Syndrome and ADHD respectively.

“I understand the family will soon be evicted from their home in Ballyfermot as their landlord intends to sell the property.

“A homeless shelter would be inappropriate for this family given the needs of the children.

“The council initially offered to purchase the property so as to avoid the eviction, but following an inspection of the house they didn’t approve of an attic conversion and so decided not to purchase.

“I’ve worked on many housing cases in my time, but this is the most infuriating.

“Presumably the council have identified a trip or safety hazard in the attic, and for this reason they’ve basically said ‘no, we can’t help you – good luck’ and watch on as that vulnerable family edge towards homeless.

“We all know modern Ireland and local authorities have become known for their excessive red tape, but it is particularly sad to see that the system has become void of any semblance of compassion. We need to bring some humanity back into this system”.