FAMILY’S PLEA FOR HELP TO FIND HOME
‘TIME IS RUNNING OUT’ FOR BLESSINGTON FAMILY IN DANGER OF HOMELESSNESS
A WEST Wicklow family on the brink of homelessness has made a desperate appeal for help in finding a new home before Christmas.
Brian Phelan and Jo Allen, who live in Blessington with their son Sam (who will soon turn four), have to move out of their home which is being sold.
As Jo suffers from Fibromyalgia, which causes her chronic pain and mobility issues, as well as sensitivity to loud noise, the family is desperate to secure a bungalow or, failing that, a suitable property with a stair lift.
‘Time is running out for us to find somewhere. The house is sale agreed and once it is officially sold we will have a matter of weeks to move out. We could be homeless facing into Christmas if we don’t find somewhere. To get onto the council’s housing list we have to be declared as homeless so they can’t help us as technically, at the moment, we are in a house. It’s such a difficult time and takes its toll on my mental health,’ Brian said.
As Jo’s full time carer, Brian has been trying to look after his family while also travelling to view any property that becomes available and checking property websites daily.
He said that the couple are trying to put on a brave face for their son but that the situation is taking its toll on them.
‘It is getting to the point where it is difficult financially to put petrol in the car to drive around to look at houses. We have viewed over ten at this stage and the problem is that there are so few available to rent,’ he said.
Brian and Jo have been approved for the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) and are in a position to pay €1,500 per month rent but nowhere suitable has yet become available.
‘We desperately want to stay in Blessington. We have made a life here, I am hoping to grow my Extreme Fitness club into a small business and we have our son enrolled in a local school for next year, but until we know where we stand it is impossible to make plans. We don’t want to uproot and move to a different town or county but unless we find a home we will have to consider doing so,’ Brian said.
Brian is well-known locally for his work running fitness meet-ups, hikes and walks which he has coupled up with community clean-ups and rubbish collections. A SIGNIFICANT number of vulnerable older people in the south Wicklow area are still without telephone service three weeks after Hurricane Ophelia.
According to the local community alert organisation, many senior citizens across Shillelagh, Tinahely, Mullinacuff and Crossbridge have also been left without their emergency personal alarm service as a result.
Chairperson Annette Nolan said that there is a lot of concern in the area and appealed to local people to check on their elderly neighbours who are still awaiting the restoration of their phone service.
‘I have spoken to various people who are still without their phones three weeks later. Their panic buttons do not work unless the phone line is up and running. Anyone could understand a week or so but three weeks is a long time to be without a service and many of these older people are very worried and upset about it,’ Ms Nolan said.
According to Cllr Vincent Blake, a number of trees did fall on cables during the hurricane and some of the lines still appear to be down.
Ms Nolan, who organises regular social outings for local senior citizens said that many of them feel vulnerable without their alarms.
‘They rely on these alarms and their phones for security and to make contact with the outside world and they feel very nervous alone at home without them,’ she said.
It is understood that a number of customers had their phone service restored on Monday but, according to the Eir website, some 2,000 customers across the county could be anything up to eight more days without service, while repairs are ongoing. Efforts to contact an Eir representative were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.