unmarried mothers and housing...

jon1981

hi,

just curious if anyone could shed light on this. I live in a area of south Dublin were housings on average are between 400k and 450k. There is girl 21 yrs of age with one kid has been given a house by i assume the council. 3 bed house. How does this happen? the kid is only a year old. Also my mother was talking to a girl she kinda knows because her mother knew my mam. And my mam says to the girl im seeing you alot lately around here and she says " oh I just got a house on x avenue". Her friend turned around and said oh ill be getting one soon my name is on the list. Now also the house this girl got is 10 doors away from a house which is currently on sale for 410k.

i suppose my question is:
a) why do the council think its neccessary for an unmarried mother of one child to need a 3 bed house
b) how is it they are guaranteed these houses? i might add that this area is not a council area. Also the firsts girls family live in a house in my area which the council bought, i heard through someone that its easier as an unmarried mother to get a house in the same area as your family. is this true?

I suppose if im honest im alittle bitter because ill be bursting myself trying to pay a mortgage of 1700k and not being able to afford any luxory items like LCD screens and that while they can. sure one them has a bloody A3 in the garden wtf!!?

EDIT: i just want to add that im not against unmarried mothers receiving aid and housing, but i do think its being abused

bingo167

Jon,

In my own humble opinion, the social welfare system is a complete mess. There doesn't seem to be any justice when a family struggles to pay a mortgage or rent, and a single mother with no intention of working can get a rent cheque or a lovely rent free council house. The same happens here in Tipperary. Don't get me wrong, the idea behind a social welfare system is excellent, taking care of someone when in need, but we've bred generations of people who now believe it's their right for free handouts in return for nothing. The system will only change when a brave government does something about it, and that, I think, will never happen.

jon1981

i hear you, i suppose i was more outraged and disgusted with their attitude, it was like it was their entitlement and the assurance that they will get it. Especially when i read in the papers of familys of 5 being forced to live in bedsits.

DublinDilbert

jon1981 wrote: »

i hear you, i suppose i was more outraged and disgusted with their attitude, it was like it was their entitlement and the assurance that they will get it. Especially when i read in the papers of familys of 5 being forced to live in bedsits.

I almost got sick one day in my local post office when i was queuing, I heard these 2 girls chatting, one had just been 'up-graded' to a 3 bed house... she was discussing what leather furniture she had picked out and what type of wooden flooring, then she was saying how she was going to get the state to pay for it!!!

Why would someone like that ever take a job on any where near the minimum wage?? when they can get way more from the state and sit at home on their leather sofa....

jon1981

i might regret starting this thread :mad:

mikemac

jon1981 wrote: »

b) how is it they are guaranteed these houses? i might add that this area is not a council area. Also the firsts girls family live in a house in my area which the council bought, i heard through someone that its easier as an unmarried mother to get a house in the same area as your family. is this true?

I suppose the trend is buy up houses over many areas instead of one massive complex or estate. You might never know who owns the house next to you.
It probably does make sense to put succussful applicants in their local area. The girl will have the support network of her family.

I wonder will this thread go downhill

jon1981

i agree it is good that they are around their family, but since when has it become an unofficial right? maybe the council will subsidise me to live near my family lol ...oh wait thats the affordable housing scheme that has a 5 year waiting list and only apartments in areas of dublin nobody wants to live in

jon1981

ok i heard some crazy talk about it taking years to clear the affordable housing list. i suppose the other side of the argument is, if you were to put all these people together it would create more social problems like in ballymun for example

Victor

jon1981 wrote: »

There is girl 21 yrs of age with one kid has been given a house by i assume the council.

You mean you don't actually know, you are just guessing? For all you know she bought it herself or with family / friends or through affordable housing or whatever. How do you know who is or isn't living there? If it is a council owned house, the council retains ownership - the tenants aren't "given" houses.

3 bed house.

Have you checked?

How does this happen? the kid is only a year old.

Would you prefer the child to be homeless and the house empty?

Also my mother was talking to a girl she kinda knows because her mother knew my mam. And my mam says to the girl im seeing you alot lately around here and she says " oh I just got a house on x avenue". Her friend turned around and said oh ill be getting one soon my name is on the list.

Its a long list. You say nothing of the housing needs of these two.

Now also the house this girl got is 10 doors away from a house which is currently on sale for 410k.

For sale at €410 means it might get €350k.

a) why do the council think its neccessary for an unmarried mother of one child to need a 3 bed house

Seeing as you are speculating. We can't answer that.

b) how is it they are guaranteed these houses?

Whos says they are guaranteed?

i might add that this area is not a council area.

Would you prefer 1980s-style ghettoes?

Also the firsts girls family live in a house in my area which the council bought, i heard through someone that its easier as an unmarried mother to get a house in the same area as your family. is this true?

It has nothing to do with being unmarried. Its about need. Two people trump one. Children and elderly people trump working-age adults. People with disabilities trump normally-abled people. Homeless people trump people with a home.

Councils are giving first perference in in-fill schemes to people from an area. Not only does this improve things for the individuals - parents and grandparents are nearby, it also creates a more stable neighbourhood without a constant turn-over of residents. It also cuts down on travel needs.

I suppose if im honest im alittle bitter because ill be bursting myself trying to pay a mortgage of 1700k

Avail of the Rent-a-Room scheme then. www.revenue.ie Oh do you mean €1,700 a month or €1,700,000 total?

and not being able to afford any luxory items like LCD screens and that while they can. sure one them has a bloody A3 in the garden wtf!!?

Much jealous, are we?

EDIT: i just want to add that im not against unmarried mothers receiving aid and housing, but i do think its being abused

You have provided no evidence of this.

gixerfixer

jon1981 wrote: »

hi,

just curious if anyone could shed light on this. I live in a area of south Dublin were housings on average are between 400k and 450k. There is girl 21 yrs of age with one kid has been given a house by i assume the council. 3 bed house. How does this happen? the kid is only a year old. Also my mother was talking to a girl she kinda knows because her mother knew my mam. And my mam says to the girl im seeing you alot lately around here and she says " oh I just got a house on x avenue". Her friend turned around and said oh ill be getting one soon my name is on the list. Now also the house this girl got is 10 doors away from a house which is currently on sale for 410k.

i suppose my question is:
a) why do the council think its neccessary for an unmarried mother of one child to need a 3 bed house
b) how is it they are guaranteed these houses? i might add that this area is not a council area. Also the firsts girls family live in a house in my area which the council bought, i heard through someone that its easier as an unmarried mother to get a house in the same area as your family. is this true?

I suppose if im honest im alittle bitter because ill be bursting myself trying to pay a mortgage of 1700k and not being able to afford any luxory items like LCD screens and that while they can. sure one them has a bloody A3 in the garden wtf!!?

EDIT: i just want to add that im not against unmarried mothers receiving aid and housing, but i do think its being abused

Sorry.You do sound bitter and your story does'nt add up.You are only guessing that she is in a council house and i know for a fact that any single mother would NEVER get a 3 bed house with one kid.Also if the kid is only a year old it's impossible to get a house through the social housing system as it takes years after you have given birth to get a house by this method.Maybe she bought the house?

DJDC

just curious if anyone could shed light on this. I live in a area of south Dublin were housings on average are between 400k and 450k. There is girl 21 yrs of age with one kid has been given a house by i assume the council. 3 bed house. How does this happen? the kid is only a year old. Also my mother was talking to a girl she kinda knows because her mother knew my mam. And my mam says to the girl im seeing you alot lately around here and she says " oh I just got a house on x avenue". Her friend turned around and said oh ill be getting one soon my name is on the list. Now also the house this girl got is 10 doors away from a house which is currently on sale for 410k.

I think this is just a rumour tbh. The council/the govt aren't some limitless well of liquidity that can readily splash out vast sums of money on council housing. In fact, with the current state of the public finances and the negative growth outlook for the next 1/2 years, there will be a lot of prudence shown around new council housing. There is no way you should feel jealous of people who have to end up scrounging off the state for housing. You should feel sorry for them, as the vast majority end up in sink estates like berryfield, darndale etc. riddled with drugs and crime, with the young children destined to a life of poverty and failure.

johnnyskeleton

DJDC wrote: »

I think this is just a rumour tbh. The council/the govt aren't some limitless well of liquidity that can readily splash out vast sums of money on council housing. In fact, with the current state of the public finances and the negative growth outlook for the next 1/2 years, there will be a lot of prudence shown around new council housing. There is no way you should feel jealous of people who have to end up scrounging off the state for housing. You should feel sorry for them, as the vast majority end up in sink estates like berryfield, darndale etc. riddled with drugs and crime, with the young children destined to a life of poverty and failure.

Well said.

XxSparklexX

Im a single mother of one child whos 8, im from Rathgar, i was tryin my best after college (mechanical engineerin, then beauty, then specialised in make up) i worked full time for a few yrs.
I was earning 360 per wk, half of my wages wer goin on an after school care for my daughter each wk, i also have a loan out and a car (which i bought for 300, not a fancy bmw!) to maintain,.
At the end of each week i was comin out with nothing to live on, i love my job im a make up artist now for mac, but i had to cut my hours down because i needed to move out of home and start my own life. the only way i could do this is by leavin full time work and workin one day a week, i was then able to apply for my book back, get my wages from one day, apply for rent allowance etc. im now comin out with in and around the same amount with no after school to pay. It pisses me off because i want to work like every one else, i love my job and everone i work with and i was gutted leavin full time.
im movin in to my own apartment this wk finally, with the help of rent allowance,i think unmarried mothers get alot of bad press, yes there are many out there who couldnt be arsed workin but there is also some of us who want to work but cant aford to . i think a better child care system needs to be in place in this country it would have helped me out any way. we are not all spongers who couldnt be arsed workin.

ronbyrne2005

XxSparklexX wrote: »

Im a single mother of one child whos 8, im from Rathgar, i was tryin my best after college (mechanical engineerin, then beauty, then specialised in make up) i worked full time for a few yrs.
I was earning 360 per wk, half of my wages wer goin on an after school care for my daughter each wk, i also have a loan out and a car (which i bought for 300, not a fancy bmw!) to maintain,.
At the end of each week i was comin out with nothing to live on, i love my job im a make up artist now for mac, but i had to cut my hours down because i needed to move out of home and start my own life. the only way i could do this is by leavin full time work and workin one day a week, i was then able to apply for my book back, get my wages from one day, apply for rent allowance etc. im now comin out with in and around the same amount with no after school to pay. It pisses me off because i want to work like every one else, i love my job and everone i work with and i was gutted leavin full time.
im movin in to my own apartment this wk finally, with the help of rent allowance,i think unmarried mothers get alot of bad press, yes there are many out there who couldnt be arsed workin but there is also some of us who want to work but cant aford to . i think a better child care system needs to be in place in this country it would have helped me out any way. we are not all spongers who couldnt be arsed workin.

Wheres the father and why is'nt he helping pay for the childs upbringing? We need a agency here to chase errant fathers to financial and otherwise support their kids.

seamus

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Wheres the father and why is'nt he helping pay for the childs upbringing? We need a agency here to chase errant fathers to financial and otherwise support their kids.

The problem is that if the father is paying for the child, he should be entitled to access to the child (unless a court decides that wouldn't be in the best interests of the child).

The problem here is nosy and gossipy neighbours. They see people with nice cars and plasma TVs and think, "Oh they must be scrounging them, sure they can't afford them", forgetting the fact that they know absolutely nothing about people's financial situations.

You'll find that many people are in far more debt than their lifestyle would lead you to believe. Driving around in Audi TT's with 40 or 50 inch plasmas on the wall, which are all paid for by the bank.

You also have no idea where people are getting their money from. I know one particular single mother who lives in her own home and works 3 days a week part time. She is getting maintainance from her ex-husband, and then her parents pay the balance of her mortgage, which means that she only has to provide for herself and her child. You could claim that she's getting a "free ride", but what other people choose to do with their money is none of your business, jealous or otherwise.

gixerfixer

DJDC wrote: »

I think this is just a rumour tbh. The council/the govt aren't some limitless well of liquidity that can readily splash out vast sums of money on council housing. In fact, with the current state of the public finances and the negative growth outlook for the next 1/2 years, there will be a lot of prudence shown around new council housing. There is no way you should feel jealous of people who have to end up scrounging off the state for housing. You should feel sorry for them, as the vast majority end up in sink estates like berryfield, darndale etc. riddled with drugs and crime, with the young children destined to a life of poverty and failure.

oh +1.Now lets get them all on the train to ausvitz.:rolleyes:

gixerfixer

XxSparklexX wrote: »

Im a single mother of one child whos 8, im from Rathgar, i was tryin my best after college (mechanical engineerin, then beauty, then specialised in make up) i worked full time for a few yrs.
I was earning 360 per wk, half of my wages wer goin on an after school care for my daughter each wk, i also have a loan out and a car (which i bought for 300, not a fancy bmw!) to maintain,.
At the end of each week i was comin out with nothing to live on, i love my job im a make up artist now for mac, but i had to cut my hours down because i needed to move out of home and start my own life. the only way i could do this is by leavin full time work and workin one day a week, i was then able to apply for my book back, get my wages from one day, apply for rent allowance etc. im now comin out with in and around the same amount with no after school to pay. It pisses me off because i want to work like every one else, i love my job and everone i work with and i was gutted leavin full time.
im movin in to my own apartment this wk finally, with the help of rent allowance,i think unmarried mothers get alot of bad press, yes there are many out there who couldnt be arsed workin but there is also some of us who want to work but cant aford to . i think a better child care system needs to be in place in this country it would have helped me out any way. we are not all spongers who couldnt be arsed workin.

Good luck with the new apartment sparkle.Dont let some of the clowns on here wind you up.I think a lot are just very jealous of single mothers who have rightly got a apartment or house because of there circumstances.Unfortunatly some people like to mark everyones card the same just because they are bitter.Best of luck:)

gurramok

As i stated in the AH thread, i do know of a unmarried local woman with 3 kids who did get a 3bed house which was sold to the corpo by the previous occupants.

She waited years for the house just like gixerfixer exclaimed.

Basically, she is on her 4th pregnancy now, her partner lives with her 'illegally' and is flush with dosh(3 cars including a SUV) as well as you guess the famous plasma tv inside the living room besides other 'equipment'.

She is on welfare getting rent paid for her and her partner does not work(they had no qualms about telling the neighbours this...he maybe on welfare, just dont know that part yet).
I point this out as a case that may be p1sstakers and abusing the system and this may not reflect as a general issue with others on the list.

XxSparklexX

awww tnx, nice to hear something nice!

in relation to the question about my childs father, i was a very silly and nieve teenager i can admit that now lol, after i got pregnant i got some sence into and dumped him (yes it took that for me to see clearly lol!). he was a nasty character.I did chase him up for maintainance tro the legal routs and he said he would pay 25 pounds a wk in support, that didnt happen, my daughter recieved nothing. Id rather go it alone than with the likes of him tho. last i heard he was livin in with a new girl and their 3 kids, i also heard rumour that the is another chld before mine. the word dead beat dad springs to mind! The thing that bugs me most is hes no Brad Pit so hats off to him, i dont know how he managed it!!!

brendan4

Not meaning to be rude XxSparklexX, but did you consider giving the baby up for adoption? (not me saying you should have btw, just wondering, was it an option for you)

XxSparklexX

of course i considered it, my parents immediate reaction was send me away 4 an abortion, and odviously i didnt want it in the beginnin but then i decided i was keepin it/her, im not the 1st teenage mother and far 4om the last. it was the best decision i ever made to keep her.......shes the best worst thing thats ever happened to me!!! :D:D

DJDC

oh +1.Now lets get them all on the train to ausvitz.

Where did you get that from? It's auschwitz by the way

They key to ensuring you dont live next to council housing is quite simple; buy somewhere where the council can't afford i.e price them out. Unfortunately this just isn't possible for the vast majority of hard working PAYE earners. What sickens most people is the fact that out health service is underfunded, many national schools are falling apart and our rail/tube network is rubbish while you have an underclass dependent on the state for everything. They become trapped in a cycle of dependency, which is very difficult to break.

Imagine what would happen if you let free market forces take place, you buy property when you can afford to buy property. If you cant afford to buy property, youd be homeless/work harder/have less children/move abroad/live with parents. Sure you would have a short-medium term massive spike in crime rates/social unrest but in the long term the benefits to the state are huge. Only then could we finally escape the claws of the social engineering that first began in the 1940s and continues today.

Note: The author does not hold the above view and is merely playing devil's advocate.

luckat

Bless you, Victor :pac:

Victor

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Wheres the father and why is'nt he helping pay for the childs upbringing? We need a agency here to chase errant fathers to financial and otherwise support their kids.

brendan4 wrote: »

Not meaning to be rude XxSparklexX, but did you consider giving the baby up for adoption? (not me saying you should have btw, just wondering, was it an option for you)

Do you two realise how obnoxious your posts are? I'm half in the mind to ban the two of you.

ronbyrne2005

seamus wrote: »

The problem is that if the father is paying for the child, he should be entitled to access to the child (unless a court decides that wouldn't be in the best interests of the child).

The problem here is nosy and gossipy neighbours. They see people with nice cars and plasma TVs and think, "Oh they must be scrounging them, sure they can't afford them", forgetting the fact that they know absolutely nothing about people's financial situations.

You'll find that many people are in far more debt than their lifestyle would lead you to believe. Driving around in Audi TT's with 40 or 50 inch plasmas on the wall, which are all paid for by the bank.

You also have no idea where people are getting their money from. I know one particular single mother who lives in her own home and works 3 days a week part time. She is getting maintainance from her ex-husband, and then her parents pay the balance of her mortgage, which means that she only has to provide for herself and her child. You could claim that she's getting a "free ride", but what other people choose to do with their money is none of your business, jealous or otherwise.

Actually I would never judge someones situation by whether they had a flash car and a plasma telly. The people I am talking about have told me and friends and relatives about their personal circumstances, it's well known by others in a neighbourhood that ms X at number 21 is on social welfare and getting the house cheap, people don't go to extreme lengths to hide it as they know nothing will happen. Yes some single mothers have generous and well off families and some have ex partners supporting them and some have jobs but the people who are annoyed are annoyed about the ones that milk the system and don't work and get into an intergenerational social welfare dependency culture. If you read my posts I said I support social housing for those in need but if you have single mothers claiming everything the state offers including a cheap house/apartment when she and her current partner could afford to go private then others on waiting lists for social housing are being affected. My friend is long term ill and on disability benefit, he will probably never work again despite having degree etc but as he is single and has no kids (he can't have a kid himself obviously as he is male!) he is near bottom of list for social housing and is stuck in private rented accomodation subsidised by government and has had to move several times in last few years.
People on social housing lists suffer from those who milk the system taking houses/flats when they are much better off than they tell the social welfare they are. The dogs in the street know what the majority of non working single mothers are up to but the PC brigade won't acknowledge that.

brendan4

Victor wrote: »

Do you two realise how obnoxious your posts are? I'm half in the mind to ban the two of you.

Lol, ban me if you like bud... what ever floats your boat.

XxSparklexX, of course I didn't mean to be insulting, and judging from the calmness of your reply you realised this. Good luck with your (and yours) lifes.

The_Conductor

DJDC wrote: »

I think this is just a rumour tbh. The council/the govt aren't some limitless well of liquidity that can readily splash out vast sums of money on council housing. In fact, with the current state of the public finances and the negative growth outlook for the next 1/2 years, there will be a lot of prudence shown around new council housing. There is no way you should feel jealous of people who have to end up scrounging off the state for housing. You should feel sorry for them, as the vast majority end up in sink estates like berryfield, darndale etc. riddled with drugs and crime, with the young children destined to a life of poverty and failure.

Part of the problem is that the councils have assumed that they do in actual fact have limitless equity with which to splash out on housing that in may respects may not be the best possible use of scare resources. For the past few years, there has been the assumption that cash is not a limited resource- an assumption that is blatantly false and is only beginning to sink home in some councils. As you are no doubt aware- Galway City Council burnt through their entire 2008 allocation before the second week in March and then assumed that central government would bale them out with an additional allocation. They were actually quite indignant when the Department of Finance lectured them and refused to cave in. The local papers had a field day- and accused some of the councillors of trying to bale out their developer friends- the annual tent at the Galway Races, no doubt doesn't help the perception that the politicians are in the developer's pockets.

It is slowly beginning to sink in, that we are in a changed environment and the execesses of the past few years are going to have to be forgotten.

Social Housing may appear to be an extravagance come budget time, when 23% of all mortgage holders claim to be currently under severe financial pressure.......

Interesting times nonetheless.......

angelfire9

XxSparklexX wrote: »

awww tnx, nice to hear something nice!

in relation to the question about my childs father, i was a very silly and nieve teenager i can admit that now lol, after i got pregnant i got some sence into and dumped him (yes it took that for me to see clearly lol!). he was a nasty character.I did chase him up for maintainance tro the legal routs and he said he would pay 25 pounds a wk in support, that didnt happen, my daughter recieved nothing. Id rather go it alone than with the likes of him tho. last i heard he was livin in with a new girl and their 3 kids, i also heard rumour that the is another chld before mine. the word dead beat dad springs to mind! The thing that bugs me most is hes no Brad Pit so hats off to him, i dont know how he managed it!!!

Just so you know sparkle, though i'm sure you have been told this before, you are entitled BY LAW to maintenance for your daughter so imho you should go to the District court and take out a maintenance summons and take him to court, the court will award you whatever maintenance it considers reasonable and he will be ordered to pay it or else! If you're lucky you might even get something back dated.
And for the record paying maintenance does not give him an automatic right to access if that's your concern.

Abi

jon1981 wrote: »

There is girl 21 yrs of age with one kid has been given a house by i assume the council. 3 bed house. How does this happen? the kid is only a year old.

You assume wrong. This could could only be one of two scenarios, because you said this is not a council estate:

1) She is renting from a private landlord with the help of rent allowance

2) She is renting from the council with a house that they have bought out-right, but the 21yr old can never buy. In this case, it is a RAS house, or a voluntary house.

Now, the 2nd is less likely than the first, if it is a 3 bedroom house. The council would give a 2 bedroom property to her because she has one child.

Even in the 1st case, a social welfare officer would not grant rent allowance to a woman that was attempting to obtain a property which exceeded her needs.

Also my mother was talking to a girl she kinda knows because her mother knew my mam. And my mam says to the girl im seeing you alot lately around here and she says " oh I just got a house on x avenue".

See this is the problem. Too much talking with little facts, but assumptions a-plenty. Im not having a go at you, but its obvious you are a bit sore about it.

jon1981

Abigayle wrote: »

You assume wrong. This could could only be one of two scenarios, because you said this is not a council estate:

1) She is renting from a private landlord with the help of rent allowance

2) She is renting from the council with a house that they have bought out-right, but the 21yr old can never buy. In this case, it is a RAS house, or a voluntary house.

Now, the 2nd is less likely than the first, if it is a 3 bedroom house. The council would give a 2 bedroom property to her because she has one child.

Even in the 1st case, a social welfare officer would not grant rent allowance to a woman that was attempting to obtain a property which exceeded her needs.




See this is the problem. Too much talking with little facts, but assumptions a-plenty. Im not having a go at you, but its obvious you are a bit sore about it.

how does this all work if you arent working? these girls arent working, so ok they get rent allowance, but how are they meant to make up the rest of the rent? And yes i am slightly sore about it, and it is fact that they are living in a 3 bed house. Its possible its option 2, as i do know that some people in the area have sold their houses to the council

Victor

jon1981 wrote: »

how does this all work if you arent working? these girls arent working, so ok they get rent allowance, but how are they meant to make up the rest of the rent? And yes i am slightly sore about it, and it is fact that they are living in a 3 bed house. Its possible its option 2, as i do know that some people in the area have sold their houses to the council

Rent allowance will pay 90-95% of the rent, you make up the rest from your own income or savings.

One adult and one child will have a limit, more than a single adult, but less than a larger family. If the property is too expensive, you won't get rent allowance.

How do you know she isn't caring for her bed-ridden granny as well?