Family frustrated as house deemed unsuitable due to partition wall
A BRIDGETOWN family desperate to move into their dream home have been left frustrated by a Wexford County Council policy which dictates that families with four or more children require a house with four or more bedrooms.
Lyndsey and James Sinnott have six children aged between 18 and 3 and and are at the top of the housing list for four-bed properties.
A four-bed house at 24 Lakelands, Bridgetown, was recently added to the council’s housing stock and the Sinnotts had hoped they would be allowed to move in to the property.
However, a partition inside the house has been deemed to be a fire hazard and will therefore be removed in the coming weeks meaning it will be converted to a three-bed property.
As a result the council say it will be too small for the Sinnotts to live in as they don’t permit families of more than five people to live in three-bed houses.
‘This is the first suitable house that’s come up. It would be a dream for us to move in there,’ said Lyndsey. ‘My husband grew up in that estate, his mother lives just around the corner. My brother and sister live there, and my husband’s brother and sister.’
‘There was nine people living in that house at one point. The father of the family was there but he passed away; his daughters have said they’d love us to get it. My son will be going to college in Carlow this year so there would be five children then only.
Currently living in rented accommodation in Kilmore, Lyndsey and James have been on and off the housing for 16 years and have moved 12 times during that time.
‘I’m just sick of moving. We used to have to lie about the number of kids we have because once someone hears you have six children it’s a no-no. And once the landlords find out they won’t renew the contract. It’s just a nightmare,’ Lyndsey said.
And Lyndsey’s sister, Tanya Fenelon, said this stand-off with Wexford County Council is the culmination of a lengthy and protracted battle to get the Sinnotts a home.
‘Lyndsey and James have been trying for years to get a permanent home for their children. But the council keeps telling them it doesn’t have a house big enough,’ she said.
‘They have always been told they are a priority but that the council doesn’t have any four-bed houses and it refuses to house them in a three-bed house as they determine a maximum of five people can go into a three-bed house.’
And although they have received assurances from the council that they will receive a suitable home in the very near future, the difficulty in finding appropriate accommodation for a large families is something which Tanya feels should be addressed across the county, not just in her sister’s case.
‘They (Wexford County Council) know there’s bigger families out there but they never build four-bed houses in these estates. Why aren’t they building bigger estates?
‘My sister didn’t plan the youngest, he was a surprise, it happens.’
David Minogue, Communications Officer with Wexford County Council, outlined the Council’s stance on the issue.
‘The Sinnott family are in need of accommodation and we are sympathetic to their needs. However, our policy is that a family with four or more children require a house with four or more bedrooms and this is a three-bedroom house.
‘They’re on the list for a fourbed house and we are hopeful one will come up soon. We often end up buying larger house for people will larger families.’