Pensioners face housing crisis

by Louise McCarthy

A NEW crisis situation is forcing Enniscorthy pensioners to leave homes that they have been renting for over a decade.

Cllr James Browne warns that despite a severe lack of housing, Enniscorthy is being excluded from a significant social housing development and pensioners are being pushed out of their homes by landlords who are in favour of families.

Construction of 19 houses will start in Wexford and Gorey within the next 18 months at a cost of

€2,770, 000 but the housing list continues to rise in Enniscorthy leaving many old people at risk of homelessness.

Cllr Browne said: “I don’t think people realise that Enniscorthy is well on its way to becoming as bad as Dublin in terms of a shortage of places to rent . So far people are not sleeping on streets, but Enniscorthy people are having to go to Carlow for accommodation. There is no emergency accommodation in Enniscorthy, except for B&Bs.”

He said that because of staffing pressures within Wexford County Council, he has been contacting landlords throughout the county in a bid to secure accommodation for stressed pensioners.

Cllr Browne says: “People have spent weeks and months trying to get somewhere that will accept rent -allowance. After a long search they are getting the lowest quality accommodation and I know of one old woman living in a two-bed house who will have to move into a small, one bedroom flat, where she does not know any of her neighbours.”

The housing crisis is escalating rapidly, and is a relatively new phenomenon, warns Cllr Browne.

He says the housing shortage is being caused by a number of factors, but the 600% increase in home repossessions throughout Wexford is the main factor.

Cllr Browne said:“Pensioners now have nowhere to go as they are being pushed out by families who have lost their homes due to repossessions as landlords are more in favour of families.”

Cllr Browne called for increased incentives to assist single people secure accommodation. He urged Wexford County Council to try to source accommodation for these people who have found themselves in a desperate situation. He added that a lot of vacant houses in Weafer St would be ideal for single people.

There are currently 3,626 people on the housing list throughout the county and 781 of these are in Enniscorthy town.