A Dublin woman who was forced to split her family after her rent increased by almost 45 per cent has been encouraged to reconsider her situation by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton.
Gwen Connell and her three children had to move out of their Dublin 15 home two weeks ago following a rent rise of €400 a month. Ms Connell is staying with a friend while her children are staying with relatives.
The maximum rent allowance available to the family is €950. Despite a two month search, Ms Connell said she cannot find a two-bedroom house or apartment within that price range where the landlord is will to accept tenants in receipt of rent allowance.
Ms Connell and her oldest daughter Lauren (17), and middle daughter Katie (10), took part in a protest outside the Department of Social Protection in Store Street, Dublin after receiving a letter from Ms Burton in relation to the family's plight.
In the letter, Ms Burton said she was “very sorry” to hear of Ms Connell’s difficulties with the rent supplement scheme. However, she said her office had been informed by the rent section in Dublin 15 that although “some categories of housing” are becoming harder to find, there was still availability.
“I would ask you to consider that access to affordable housing is a chronic challenge for many people, including people who are in work and not eligible for rent supplement,” the letter said.
“This leads to people having to make some very, very difficult choices. To ensure that you and your family can live together again in housing that you can afford, you may have to think anew about your family’s many needs, and how those needs can be met within the housing market as it exists at the moment.”
Ms Connell said it was clear the Minister did not believe she was making a serious attempt to find somewhere for her family.
“I’m not looking for a palace. Joan is telling me to lower my expectations. There are no expectations to be lowered.”
Ms Connell became visibly upset as she described having to publicly “parade” her family because of the situation they found themselves in.
“I have been a model tenant, there has never been any issue any place we’ve lived, the only problem is that I’m on rent allowance.”
Ms Connell said she and her daughters “missed each other terribly” but she was unwilling to make them homeless and for them to end up staying in a hotel.
Lauren Connell said no one could doubt how hard her mother had searched for a place to live.
“It’s very hard to move away from my mam, I hadn’t realised how much she does for me. She looked after us all so much, I just want us to all be back together.”
