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Mother slams housing list following 'shock' report

Thursday, 31 July 2008

A NORTHSIDE woman has spoken of her frustration of being on Dublin City Council’s housing waiting list after it was revealed that over 5,000 local authority houses are lying idle throughout the country.
Gemma Adamson, a single mother-of-two from Priorswood, has been on the local authority’s housing list for the last seven years.
Ms Adamson (25), who is expecting her third child, is currently living in private accommodation, but said it is unsuitable for her family’s needs.
“It’s frustrating to see city council houses lying empty in my neighbourhood,” she told Northside People.
Ms Adamson has been told that she doesn’t have enough points to qualify for housing yet under the current system which determines the sequence in which people are offered local authority homes.
“I have a nine-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy and a new baby on the way; this situation just won’t do,” she stated.
“I need a house that is suitable for me and my family where I can raise my kids properly.
“I have been onto so many people looking for help, I’m in despair living here; I need help.”
Ms Adamson claimed there were at least two city council-owned houses lying empty locally.
“I’m sure there are loads more, but when you ask the city council they say they’re for other people,” she explained.
“I have been on the housing list since 2000 and somehow I still don’t have enough points to get a house; it’s a disgrace.”
Ms Adamson fears that she will be stuck in her present accommodation for at least another year while she waits for the city council to provide her with adequate housing.
“There are some very good people in the city council who have been helping me but I feel that if they came around and saw how unsuitable this place is they would help me out immediately,” she added.
“I don’t want to have to move from one house to another constantly; that’s not good for my children. “The city council should sort this situation out.
“In the meantime I will have to stay in this house.”
Ms Adamson said she is fortunate that she has her mother living nearby to help her.
“It’s the only thing that gets me through the day,” she added.
In a report to the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, entitled Service Indicators in Local Authorities, it was revealed that there are 5,265 empty local authority houses across the country.
Mother slams housing list following ‘shock’ reA NORTHSIDE woman has spoken of her frustration of being on Dublin City Council’s housing waiting list after it was revealed that over 5,000 local authority houses are lying idle throughout the country.
Gemma Adamson, a single mother-of-two from Priorswood, has been on the local authority’s housing list for the last seven years.
Ms Adamson (25), who is expecting her third child, is currently living in private accommodation, but said it is unsuitable for her family’s needs.
“It’s frustrating to see city council houses lying empty in my neighbourhood,” she told Northside People.
Ms Adamson has been told that she doesn’t have enough points to qualify for housing yet under the current system which determines the sequence in which people are offered local authority homes.
“I have a nine-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy and a new baby on the way; this situation just won’t do,” she stated.
“I need a house that is suitable for me and my family where I can raise my kids properly.
“I have been onto so many people looking for help, I’m in despair living here; I need help.”
Ms Adamson claimed there were at least two city council-owned houses lying empty locally.
“I’m sure there are loads more, but when you ask the city council they say they’re for other people,” she explained.
“I have been on the housing list since 2000 and somehow I still don’t have enough points to get a house; it’s a disgrace.”
Ms Adamson fears that she will be stuck in her present accommodation for at least another year while she waits for the city council to provide her with adequate housing.
“There are some very good people in the city council who have been helping me but I feel that if they came around and saw how unsuitable this place is they would help me out immediately,” she added.
“I don’t want to have to move from one house to another constantly; that’s not good for my children. “The city council should sort this situation out.
“In the meantime I will have to stay in this house.”
Ms Adamson said she is fortunate that she has her mother living nearby to help her.
“It’s the only thing that gets me through the day,” she added.
In a report to the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, entitled Service Indicators in Local Authorities, it was revealed that there are 5,265 empty local authority houses across the country.
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