Fifty of the over 300 people in emergency homeless accommodation in Meath are working- Lawes

ANN CASEY

Almost 50 of the 312 people in emergency homeless accommodation in Meath are working, highlighting the scarcity of affordable accommodation in the county.

"We have people getting up early in the morning and working hard, who still cannot afford to rent a home in the current climate," said Cllr Alan Lawes.

At a recent council meeting, Cllr Lawes was told that 44 heads of households in emergency accommodation are employed. "Those figures only apply to the lead tenant the household, and there are families where two people are working, so the number in employment who are homeless is around 50," he said.

Among the workers in homeless accommodation in Navan is a carer who is up at 6am each morning to get her two children to school before she starts work.

When she finally gets home after her last client it is around 9pm. When her children are fed and put to bed, she then starts the thankless task of looking for somewhere to rent.

"It is impossible. There are places for rent, but there is nothing I can afford. I am entitled to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) but anything I have seen costs a lot more than the HAP threshold."

She has also applied for social housing, but recognises this will take a very long time.

"I spend a lot of time online, looking for something but nothing ever works out - there is nothing I can afford, nothing that qualifies for HAP."

The mother of two, who does not want to be named to protect her children, finds living in emergency accommodation a struggle.

"I drop my children off at school, then go to my first client. I am working all day, except when go to collect the children from school. They stay with another family in the accommodation while I go out for my last call and I get home around 9 or 915pm.

"When I get in, there may be one of the other families using the kitchen. I am hungry and tired, but I have to wait. We share the house with three other families, so it is difficult, but we get on well and they mind my children when I go to my clients in the evening.

"I share one bedroom with my two daughters and we share the kitchen and bathrooms. There is only one functioning shower in the house, which is awkward," she said.

The family has been living on emergency accommodation since last November. "We had been renting a two bedroom apartment but the landlord decided to sell and we were given notice to quit.

"We went to the council. We were given emergency accommodation in Drogheda first, although my children go to school here in Navan and my work is here. It was extremely difficult as the roads were bad around that time. We were there a month before they got me this accommodation in Navan,"

"Living here is very difficult. My daughters are 12 and 4 and three of us sharing one room and sharing the kitchen with three other families is very tough.

"I spend my free time looking for somewhere we can rent, but I really don't know how we are going to get out of this situation," she said.

Another of those working and living in homeless accommodation is a young man who had to sleep rough for a number of weeks before receiving emergency housing.

He works for a farmer, but is finding it extremely difficult to find suitable accommodation within the HAP rates.

Cllr Lawes warns that difficulties accessing the HAP housing support scheme is forcing many families into homelessness because the HAP limits are lower than the market rents.

"It is getting harder and harder for people to find accommodation in Meath. People are working hard, getting up early to go out to work, but still cannot house themselves. These people have been failed by the state.

"These people are paying their taxes, PAYE and PRSI and they still end up in homelessness," he said.