Dublin People - Epileptic man claims he must stay in cramped bungalow

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Epileptic man claims he must stay in cramped bungalow

Friday, 20 June 2008

A man who suffers violent epileptic fits has claimed he must stay in his cramped two-bedroom bungalow for two years before his local council can even consider his pleas for better housing.
Patrick Phelan (51) lives in the bungalow which is rented from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council at Drumartin Terrace, Goatstown, with his wife Marion.
Patrick also has cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy and sometimes experiences up to 20 epileptic fits a day – many of them violent.
He has begged his local authority to move him from his freezing, tiny accommodation, which, along with his disability, has made life unbearable.
Patrick told Southside People he received notice that the council has rejected his request, and that he must now wait for another two years before his case can be heard again.

“I’m utterly dismayed,” Patrick said. “When I applied for rehousing in February I was told I would only have to wait a few months, but this latest news comes as a huge shock to my wife and myself.”
However, the senior executive officer of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Eugene Vesey, insisted that Patrick’s application had not been rejected and that it is under review.
“Mr Phelan has been approved for inclusion on the two-bedroom transfer list and awarded points that take into account the length of his tenancy and medical condition,” he stated. “It is not possible to say when the transfer will actually be granted.”
The council had initially informed Patrick that since he had moved into his current residence in March 2006, he would have to wait until March 2009 to apply for rehousing, fulfilling the minimum three year residency stipulation outlined in its housing policy.
Despite his living conditions, Patrick does not want to leave the Dun Laoghaire area, but he has accepted that he may have no choice.
“I like the area where I live,” he said. “It’s away from busy streets, so if I were to take a fit outside it would not be so dangerous to me.
“I have been in contact with housing trusts in South Dublin inner city, who have told me if I submitted to them the same information I gave Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, I would most certainly be considered for possible housing.”
Mr Vesey stated that it was a matter for Patrick if he wanted to apply to a housing trust for accommodation.
Patrick bears the scars of his fits, which he has sustained from violently colliding with walls and furniture in his home. He experiences fits every single night, often injuring Marion by involuntarily lashing out.
“I really need another room on my own,” he said.

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