Mother continues sleep-out protest

A mother of three young children is preparing to spend her third night sleeping outside the offices of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown…

A mother of three young children is preparing to spend her third night sleeping outside the offices of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, protesting at having been "made homeless".

Antoinette Tate says the council has failed to offer suitable accommodation. Her children are aged six, four and 11 months.

"I have been on the housing list since 2001, and we have been in several private rented places over the past five years. There was nothing wrong with the last flat at all but the woman was selling up the house, and then I was a few days late with the rent, so she gave me four weeks' notice," Ms Tate said.

"I gave the council four weeks' notice, and they offered me a one-room place in the South Circular Road, which I told them was totally unsuitable." Her eldest child was at school in Sallynoggin, and her daughter was due to start there this week.

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"So they offered me a flat in Monkstown but it was on the sixth floor, there were no locks on the windows and the caretaker told me it would not be suitable for children."

The council said there were 282 households ahead of Ms Tate on the housing list for Dún Laoghaire, Dalkey and Sallynoggin; 127 households ahead of her on the list for Ballybrack-Shankill.

The council urged her to avail of the emergency accommodation services available through the homeless persons' unit or to seek private rented accommodation.

Kitty Holland

Kitty Holland

Kitty Holland is Social Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times