Worried - neighbour renting to homeless

noni0310

Hi All

Ive just become aware that a neighbour of mine is renting their property to the simon community. We were advised that this would be to house employees but this no longer seems the case. There's a rumour that a nearby homeless shelter is closing and that the the SC is looking to house 3 families that currently live there. Ive been told that these are troublesome families who are known for anti-social behaviour and have been moved from place to place because of this. I have no problem with homeless people and fully understand the consequences of the recession but Im worried about this house being used for emergency/ short-term accommodation. Im sure 90% of the people would be lovely but Im worried we might have trouble. Theres a lot of young families and children on the estate paying big mortgages and to date its felt like a safe area. Has anyone been through something like this. If so can you advise please. Once again Id like to reiterate that I have no issue with homeless people its the short-term/ emergency accommodation that concerns me.

Thanks

Cuddlesworth

Problem families almost always equate to property damage. I would voice you concerns to neighbour that owns the property about this issue first. Other then that, there is nothing you can do about possible tenants moving in.

Gatling

Rumours, rumours, rumours ,

Next it will be I heard it on Facebook,

It must be true ,

ElleEm

noni0310 wrote: »

Hi All

Ive just become aware that a neighbour of mine is renting their property to the simon community. We were advised that this would be to house employees but this no longer seems the case. There's a rumour that a nearby homeless shelter is closing and that the the SC is looking to house 3 families that currently live there. Ive been told that these are troublesome families who are known for anti-social behaviour and have been moved from place to place because of this. I have no problem with homeless people and fully understand the consequences of the recession but Im worried about this house being used for emergency/ short-term accommodation. Im sure 90% of the people would be lovely but Im worried we might have trouble. Theres a lot of young families and children on the estate paying big mortgages and to date its felt like a safe area. Has anyone been through something like this. If so can you advise please. Once again Id like to reiterate that I have no issue with homeless people its the short-term/ emergency accommodation that concerns me.

Thanks

So you don't have a problem with homeless people, it is when they are housed you have the issue?

I really cannot believe the hysteria in this post. You are working off hearsay and rumours at the minute, so if I was you, I would calm down!

The Simon are a great organisation who do great work to reintegrate homeless people back into communities. They provide many different services, so that house could be used for many different types. They usually work closely with their client group, so if there are any issues with the individuals or families who move in there, you will be able to contact them to inform them as the issues arise.

I really think it is unfair that you have allowed gossip to colour your view of your possible new neighbours.

Claw Hammer

There may be planning permission issues which you can use to stop the housing. If the house is effectively turned into a hostel or short term accommodation you can object and get the planners involved.

Gatling

Claw Hammer wrote: »

There may be planning permission issues which you can use to stop the housing. If the house is effectively turned into a hostel or short term accommodation you can object and get the planners involved.

Highly doubt they will move three families into one single house more hysteria

ElleEm

The neighbour is only alleged to be renting the house out.

snubbleste

Not in my back yard

Claw Hammer

ElleEm wrote: »

The neighbour is only alleged to be renting the house out.

Renting long term or short term? AS family home or to multiple occupants? None of this is clear yet.

Mrs OBumble

Do you reserve the right to vet tenants of other rented houses in the estate as well?

Or is it only ones rented to people who do actually provide support to their tenants?

conorhal

It's easy to stand on your high horse if you don't have to live next to it.

Where I live there have been several apartments rented to the HSE over the years. Every time, without exception it ended with an eviction. Compassion evaporates pretty quickly if you have junkies housed next door to you. It's been years since they left, but you don't forget people from a specialist cleaning company dressed like extras from Outbreak cutting up carpets and putting them into barrels because they are full of needles. The landlord didn't really care because the HSE covered the cost of refitting the entire apartment and paid the rent, but the tenants next door got no compensation for the sleepless nights and worry.

AngryLips

If they are renting then how are they still homeless?

sopretty

Maybe ring the Simon Community and ask them what their policy is if a case of anti-social behaviour occurs in one of their properties.

ElleEm

AngryLips wrote: »

If they are renting then how are they still homeless?

By the looks of the OP, it is the Simon Community who would be renting the house. Homeless services provide a variety of services to people in need. They may require different levels of support or assistance in their tenancy, which the Simon would provide.

TequilaMockingBird

If you have to/choose to live close to other people, you have to accept you might live next to undesirable people.

Do what the rest of us do, ring the Gardaí if you have any issues. They have as much right as you to live there.

conorhal

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

If you have to/choose to live close to other people, you have to accept you might live next to undesirable people.

Do what the rest of us do, ring the Gardaí if you have any issues. They have as much right as you to live there.

Ah, not everybody can afford a detatched mansion in the country!

As for ringing the Gardai, good luck with that. The problem is the system for dealing with complaints is so disfunctional that it's easier to move.

doughef

OP..

Your dead right!!

I bet EVERYBODY else posting here would have the same concerns if it happened to them.

I remember years ago a few families from a certain Irish minority were to be housed in an area near where I grew up.
They had a serious history of anti social /criminal behaviour.

A lot of 'no good do gooders' who lived nowhere near the area were all in favour.
"people have to be housed"
"they deserve the same respect as everybody else" etc..

So they moved in...

Houses robbed, property damamged , surrounding area made complete shi*e of...

The same people who had championed them initially were very quiet!!

kkelliher

Claw Hammer wrote: »

There may be planning permission issues which you can use to stop the housing. If the house is effectively turned into a hostel or short term accommodation you can object and get the planners involved.

There are no planning issues with renting to a family short or long term and its a bit of a jump to turn a house into a hostel

riclad

I think you are regarded as homeless,
if you are on welfare, on the housing list,
on rent allowance, ie in theory you,ll be provided with housing by the council , local authority at some point.
I know landlords who provided accomodation to single people on rent allowance ,
without causing any problems ,or issues to their neighbours.
GO the crosscare or citizens advice centre ,
get more info on this situation.

goat2

everyone deserves a home,
a roof over our heads, warmth and food,
people who are homeless have it harsh,

doughef

goat2 wrote: »

everyone deserves a home,
a roof over our heads, warmth and food,
people who are homeless have it harsh,

I agree.. But moving problems rather than sorting them out can be an issue,
If people are a problem in an area, simply moving them is not the answer..

...not trying to say I have the answer myself btw!!

sopretty

doughef wrote: »

I agree.. But moving problems rather than sorting them out can be an issue,
If people are a problem in an area, simply moving them is not the answer..

...not trying to say I have the answer myself btw!!

Giving someone a roof over their heads, is usually the start!

goat2

were you told by a reliable source that they were people who could be troublesome,

The_Morrigan

Gatling, doughef - do not post in this thread again please.

Morri

noni0310

I just read my post again Elle Em - cant see the hysteria that you refer to. Maybe you need to read it again as you clearly missed my point. Its the use of the house for emergency accommodation that sits uneasily with me. Meaning we would not having any long-term neighbours to get to know. The nature of emergency acc is that its used for short turn around, no??? I should also say that the rumours have been confirmed by local government / employees in planning dept so they are hardly silly gossip. We have a lovely community on our estate with several nationalities and religions including settled travellers and various types of dwellings from private to RAS and social affordable. I dont doubt for a minute that the sc do great work but they are not know for their great dialogue with residents. How are you so sure that we will be able to get in contact with them if there were issues??? sounds like someone works for the sc if you ask me - far too defensive. I wonder if the PC brigade had a neighbour who decided to let his/ her place for emergency acc would they remain so unconcerned. Some how I doubt it.

TequilaMockingBird

noni0310 wrote: »

I wonder if the PC brigade had a neighbour who decided to let his/ her place for emergency acc would they remain so unconcerned. Some how I doubt it.

There's nothing you can do about it, is there? Except move.

ElleEm

noni0310 wrote: »

I just read my post again Elle Em - cant see the hysteria that you refer to. Maybe you need to read it again as you clearly missed my point. Its the use of the house for emergency accommodation that sits uneasily with me. Meaning we would not having any long-term neighbours to get to know. The nature of emergency acc is that its used for short turn around, no??? I should also say that the rumours have been confirmed by local government / employees in planning dept so they are hardly silly gossip. We have a lovely community on our estate with several nationalities and religions including settled travellers and various types of dwellings from private to RAS and social affordable. I dont doubt for a minute that the sc do great work but they are not know for their great dialogue with residents. How are you so sure that we will be able to get in contact with them if there were issues??? sounds like someone works for the sc if you ask me - far too defensive. I wonder if the PC brigade had a neighbour who decided to let his/ her place for emergency acc would they remain so unconcerned. Some how I doubt it.

I don't work for the Simon Community, but I have worked in the homeless sector. I have seen first hand how people who have fallen on hard times find it difficult to get back on their feet due to the stigma of using homeless services. People are far too quick to judge and tar them with the same brush. In your original post, you stated that "90%" of them could be lovely people. If you really believed that, you wouldn't have come on to Boards to discuss the issue. You are pre- judging people who HAVE NOWHERE TO LIVE. I genuinely despair at the lack of empathy shown by others in regards to the homeless. You have every right to be concerned about neighbours if they begin in engaging in antisocial behaviour, but you should really park all your judgement, contact the Simon Community if you want and should express your concerns to them. They may allay your fears by giving you some info about the type of service users who may be using the property.

theKillerBite

If people start renting to hobos, how will we know who is homeless and who is not??

Muahahaha

noni0310 wrote: »

Hi All

Ive just become aware that a neighbour of mine is renting their property to the simon community. We were advised that this would be to house employees but this no longer seems the case. There's a rumour that a nearby homeless shelter is closing and that the the SC is looking to house 3 families that currently live there. Ive been told that these are troublesome families who are known for anti-social behaviour and have been moved from place to place because of this. I have no problem with homeless people and fully understand the consequences of the recession but Im worried about this house being used for emergency/ short-term accommodation. Im sure 90% of the people would be lovely but Im worried we might have trouble. Theres a lot of young families and children on the estate paying big mortgages and to date its felt like a safe area. Has anyone been through something like this. If so can you advise please. Once again Id like to reiterate that I have no issue with homeless people its the short-term/ emergency accommodation that concerns me.

Thanks

I think Christy Moore summed it up succinctly -

Born in the common by a building site
Where the ground was rutted by the trail of wheels
The local Christian said to me,
"You'll lower the price of property"
Go, Move, Shift

robjones1981

Simon is an extremely well run organisation on a nationwide basis, and most of the local offices are efficient outfits also.

Give the Simon office a call, talk to them, I think you will find they are very aware of potential concerns and are easy to communicate with

Where are you by the way? (In general terms)

dees99

OP there's no way id stand for some family, who had being kicked out of council estates suddenly landing in next door to my house.

Here's a nasty but legal solution for ya. Find who the family is, what they have done and why they got kicked out of they're council estate. Write to the Simon community then immediately and tell them nicely, that if they even dream about moving the family in next door to you, that you are going to write to every newspaper, internet forum and ring Joe Duffy to let the public know that they're donations are being spent housing vermin who thrash, terrorise and who can't even behave in a bad area, never mind a nice one. Bet the Simons will think twice then! ��

Santa Cruz

doughef wrote: »

OP..

Your dead right!!

I bet EVERYBODY else posting here would have the same concerns if it happened to them.

I remember years ago a few families from a certain Irish minority were to be housed in an area near where I grew up.
They had a serious history of anti social /criminal behaviour.

A lot of 'no good do gooders' who lived nowhere near the area were all in favour.
"people have to be housed"
"they deserve the same respect as everybody else" etc..

So they moved in...

Houses robbed, property damamged , surrounding area made complete shi*e of...

The same people who had championed them initially were very quiet!!

It's our culture Boss

ElleEm

dees99 wrote: »

OP there's no way id stand for some family, who had being kicked out of council estates suddenly landing in next door to my house.

Where did the OP state that the "family" had been "kicked out of a council estate"? The OP doesn't know if the house will be used by young mothers, a family made homeless through domestic abuse or a one parent family in need of additional support. The needs of homeless service users are so varied, posts like yours just promote ignorance.

Claw Hammer

kkelliher wrote: »

There are no planning issues with renting to a family short or long term and its a bit of a jump to turn a house into a hostel

There are planning issues with short term letting. A series of short lettings constitutes a different use of a property than long term. It is recognised that holiday letting is a different planning use of a property than normal residence.

Mrs OBumble

Claw Hammer wrote: »

There are planning issues with short term letting. A series of short lettings constitutes a different use of a property than long term. It is recognised that holiday letting is a different planning use of a property than normal residence.

It is a long term let, though, to the Simon community.

They, like you or I, can have guests staying at their house short term.

dees99

ElleEm wrote: »

Where did the OP state that the "family" had been "kicked out of a council estate"? The OP doesn't know if the house will be used by young mothers, a family made homeless through domestic abuse or a one parent family in need of additional support. The needs of homeless service users are so varied, posts like yours just promote ignorance.

Why so you think they are in the hands of a homeless charity and not the department of social welfare? Because the social welfare have washed they're hands of them. That's how bad they must be. Ignorance is convincing yourself otherwise!

sopretty

dees99 wrote: »

Why so you think they are in the hands of a homeless charity and not the department of social welfare? Because the social welfare have washed they're hands of them. That's how bad they must be. Ignorance is convincing yourself otherwise!

Do you think every homeless person you see on the street has been evicted from a council house?

dees99

sopretty wrote: »

Do you think every homeless person you see on the street has been evicted from a council house?

No I certainly do not. But I do think they are dysfunctional and have difficulty living life like a normal person or people. Paying off a mortgage on your home and suddenly a load of them arrive in next door for the foreseeable future? No way would I take that!! The neighbour is a pure prik to do it without even asking you first.

TequilaMockingBird

dees99 wrote: »

No I certainly do not. But I do think they are dysfunctional and have difficulty living life like a normal person or people. Paying off a mortgage on your home and suddenly a load of them arrive in next door for the foreseeable future? No way would I take that!! The neighbour is a pure prik to do it without even asking you first.

"Like a normal person"?

And "No way would I take that!!". What exactly would you do?

dees99

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

"Like a normal person"?

And "No way would I take that!!". What exactly would you do?

8 posts up pal!

And yes a normal person, one who would prefer to live in a rented room instead of the street, claim rent allowance, pay the rent like thousands of others. That's why they are in the hands of a homeless charity.

sopretty

dees99 wrote: »

8 posts up pal!

And yes a normal person, one who would prefer to live in a rented room instead of the street, claim rent allowance, pay the rent like thousands of others. That's why they are in the hands of a homeless charity.

Dees - I actually can't believe what you're stating. Anyway, I suspect I'd be talking to a brick wall if I tried to engage with you, so I'll desist!

dees99

sopretty wrote: »

Dees - I actually can't believe what you're stating. Anyway, I suspect I'd be talking to a brick wall if I tried to engage with you, so I'll desist!

Sorry but in this instance, yes you would be! ��

Its difficult for me to think that you wouldn't mind, if suddenly you heard that homeless people were going to be housed next door to you.

sopretty

dees99 wrote: »

Sorry but in this instance, yes you would be! ��

Its difficult for me to think that you wouldn't mind, if suddenly you heard that homeless people were going to be housed next door to you.

I've been bordering on homeless meself at times , so no, it wouldn't bother me. If it was a crowd of rich hooligans, or previously homeless impoverished thugs, then I wouldn't be happy.
I would not however assume that someone who was once homeless is now guaranteed to engage in anti-social behaviour in their home.

The_Morrigan

Folks, I'd appreciate if the speculation and broad generalisations came to a halt now, if you can't offer constructive advice to the OP and their situation then please don't post at all.

Thanks,

Morri

TequilaMockingBird

sopretty wrote: »

Dees - I actually can't believe what you're stating. Anyway, I suspect I'd be talking to a brick wall if I tried to engage with you, so I'll desist!

Dee's the type of person NONE of us want to live next to.

anncoates

The people moving in have the right not to be judged until they move it but spare me the sanctimonious hand wringing about a owner merely expressing concern about their possible neighbours.

zef

I can't understand how someone would begrudge putting a roof over a person or childs head.
I think people think 'homeless' and assume its people with drug or other problems. Its a bad recession. There for the grace of God go you or I.

corner of hells

dees99 wrote: »

8 posts up pal!

And yes a normal person, one who would prefer to live in a rented room instead of the street, claim rent allowance, pay the rent like thousands of others. That's why they are in the hands of a homeless charity.

I work in homeless services myself , a lot of people in the services I've worked in end up homeless for aside variety of reasons not just the stereo typical anti social description many people talk about.Lots of homeless in Irish society today are immigrants from both Eastern Europe and the middle east , others come from children's services ... marriage break ups and Irish returning from abroad also make up the numbers.

lukesmom

Fact is if a homeless person moves in next door to you then they aren't homeless anymore so problem solved. I can't imagine what your issue could be I am genuinely puzzled??????