Five homeless families who feared they would be evicted from Lynam’s Hotel in Dublin today will be allowed to stay until August 1st.
The hotel on Upper O’Connell Street, which is being used as emergency accommodation for a number of homeless families, is then due to be handed over to a receiver.
Nama appointed Aiden Murphy of Crowe Horwath as the receiver last September. However families are concerned about what happens next.
Among those at a protest in support of the families facing eviction yesterday, was Annette Courtney who has lived in Lynam's Hotel for a month with her 18-month-old daughter. Ms Courtney said it was the fifth hotel she has lived in since becoming homeless in March.
“It’s horrible. It’s a very stressful situation. I cry every day over it,” she said. “The worst part is we don’t know where we’re going to be next. I don’t like feeling isolated, it’s my biggest fear.”
Anna Farrell-Oswe, who is living in the hotel with her husband and five children in two rooms, shares the same wish to have a permanent home but wants to stay at the hotel until one is found. Ms Farrell-Oswe said she had to pack up her children, aged five-months-old, three, seven, eight and 16-years-old, when the family were served a termination notice for their privately rented property, because their landlord was selling it.
“I’ve gone to so many viewings and so many houses. I meet about 20 or 30 other couples nearly on a continuous basis on each house I go to,” she said.
Ms Oswe said it was very difficult for the family to become homeless on June 14th.
“I’m trying to stay calm. We’re a Christian family so we pray a lot. We don’t drink, we don’t smoke, we don’t do drugs, we’ve never done any of that,” she said. “We’ve spent our money on rent and feeding our family, looking after our family. We’ve both worked the whole time. We’re not sitting on our backsides doing nothing.”
Zero-hour contract
Ms Oswe said they could not get a mortgage because her husband, who works in security, has a zero-hour contract and she worked on a temporary contract on a CE scheme.
She said Dublin City Council (DCC)had offered a one-bedroom basement of a townhouse in Gardiner Street as emergency accommodation.
“Unfortunately my husband works night shifts and five kids in the same room – it wouldn’t work,” she said. “Living here is not an ideal situation but at least it’s a roof over our heads.” The Dublin Region Homeless Executive and DCC said in a statement that “all families have been offered suitable alternative accommodation”.
The council said it will pay for families to stay at the hotel until August 1st, and will continue to work with them.
A Nama spokesman said the management of this issue was a matter for the receiver and hotel operator, and it was not permitted to interfere with the receiver's role. He said, following High Court proceedings in April, a settlement was reached to remove the hotel operator and grant vacant possession to the receiver from August 1st.
Niamh McDonald, of Irish Housing Network, who organised the rally outside the hotel yesterday, said all the families involved are stressed and tired.
“ All this is taking its toll on them, ” she said. “Offers were made for accommodation but they were not suitable.”
The Department of Housing said it has been informed by the DCC all families were offered alternative accommodation .
“There are a number of legal discussions underway with Nama and other parties, therefore the Department can’t comment any further at this time.”
The receiver was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline. However, Eamon Marray BL, for the receiver, said in the court in April his client wanted to sell the property as soon as possible.
