Council Housing

Littlenicky55

Hi, I’m looking for advice regarding Council housing. Myself and my partner have been on the housing list for 9 years, our child has additional needs (autism, sensory processing disorder and mobility issues) I have been in touch with every td and councillor in our area who have all vowed to help for the past year. I’ve sent countless letters and emails to the Council, called several times to be spoken to in the most horrendous manner and I’ve sent them in all of my child’s medical reports etc.
We are renting at the moment, my partner works full time,where we are is 2.5km from the town and my child is reliant on a buggy to get around which isn’t appropriate and I’m going through buggy’s like nobody’s business due to the child being too big for them.
I’ve tried to speak to the Council on many occasions regarding Medical priority and have repeatedly been told there’s no such thing even though it’s in their own allocation policy.
I’m looking for any advice on how I can be heard or listened to.
I’ve resorted to calling tuath and other ahb’s myself to no avail as I need to be nominated by the Council.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Graces7

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

Hi, I’m looking for advice regarding Council housing. Myself and my partner have been on the housing list for 9 years, our child has additional needs (autism, sensory processing disorder and mobility issues) I have been in touch with every td and councillor in our area who have all vowed to help for the past year. I’ve sent countless letters and emails to the Council, called several times to be spoken to in the most horrendous manner and I’ve sent them in all of my child’s medical reports etc.
We are renting at the moment, my partner works full time,where we are is 2.5km from the town and my child is reliant on a buggy to get around which isn’t appropriate and I’m going through buggy’s like nobody’s business due to the child being too big for them.
I’ve tried to speak to the Council on many occasions regarding Medical priority and have repeatedly been told there’s no such thing even though it’s in their own allocation policy.
I’m looking for any advice on how I can be heard or listened to.
I’ve resorted to calling tuath and other ahb’s myself to no avail as I need to be nominated by the Council.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

a small point but your child needs a small wheelchair? Try the various Irish Wheelchair places?

see

http://www.assistireland.ie/eng/Information/Information_Sheets/Suppliers_of_children's_equipment.html

also eg donedeal will sometimes have secondhand.

Caranica

Do you have letters from doctors at consultant level? The councils I know won't accept anything below that for consideration for a medical priority list.

Unfortunately there is also a wait on the medical priority list so it's no fast cure.

With the housing crisis no politician can magic up a house for you and the wait is long. The list operates on a points system based on need as well as a length of time. Making sure the council has all the information to see your urgent need is all you can do I'm afraid.

Gatling

Unfortunately it's a very simple case of waiting ,you can get re-enforced buggies for bigger children too you should really look into ,

Unfortunately your one of tens of thousands in the same position

mickuhaha

Is there an issue with the rented accommodation?

DublinHun72

Can the health board not assist with a wheelchair ?
Failing that as suggested above you could try wheelchair association. There are kids wheelchairs on adverts.ie for €80 atm.

power pants

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

Hi, I’m looking for advice regarding Council housing. Myself and my partner have been on the housing list for 9 years, our child has additional needs (autism, sensory processing disorder and mobility issues) I have been in touch with every td and councillor in our area who have all vowed to help for the past year. I’ve sent countless letters and emails to the Council, called several times to be spoken to in the most horrendous manner and I’ve sent them in all of my child’s medical reports etc.
We are renting at the moment, my partner works full time,where we are is 2.5km from the town and my child is reliant on a buggy to get around which isn’t appropriate and I’m going through buggy’s like nobody’s business due to the child being too big for them.
I’ve tried to speak to the Council on many occasions regarding Medical priority and have repeatedly been told there’s no such thing even though it’s in their own allocation policy.
I’m looking for any advice on how I can be heard or listened to.
I’ve resorted to calling tuath and other ahb’s myself to no avail as I need to be nominated by the Council.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You will not be seen as a priority as you are currently renting and have a roof over your heads. Your partner is working full time too.

I'm not sure why you think you would be a priority -are you about to be made homeless?

Blazer

power pants wrote: »

You will not be seen as a priority as you are currently renting and have a roof over your heads. Your partner is working full time too.

I'm not sure why you think you would be a priority -are you about to be made homeless?

+1
I have 2 autistic children.
I work full time and my partner looks after them.
We also rent and are looking at buying in the next 2-3 years...hopefully.
I know my missus had been talking to the local SF TD and he was telling her she’d be entitled to a “free” house because of the kids.
She had told him she was single so probably this is where it’s coming from.
Needless to say I blew the lid.

power pants

I think that is where the issue lies. More and more people are told by tds, councils, friends that they are "entitled" to a council house because of their "unique" situation

However that doesn't mean that they will get anything anytime soon.

Pelvis

Sounds like the mobility issues are the actual problem here, and the misuse of buggies to fix it! Even if you were given a house, there's no guarantee that it would be any closer to where you want to be.

There is such a thing as priority I’m on it since April of this year don’t know why they are lying to you

Littlenicky55

Pelvis wrote: »

Sounds like the mobility issues are the actual problem here, and the misuse of buggies to fix it! Even if you were given a house, there's no guarantee that it would be any closer to where you want to be.

misuse of buggy’s? my child has a motor delay along with other issues and is unable to walk 2.5km to the shop and other amenities in the town. The buggy is to get from a to b, it’s not used to “fix” the problem- the extensive physical therapy and AFO’s are supposed to “fix” the problem.

power pants

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

misuse of buggy’s? my child has a motor delay along with other issues and is unable to walk 2.5km to the shop and other amenities in the town. The buggy is to get from a to b, it’s not used to “fix” the problem- the extensive physical therapy and AFO’s are supposed to “fix” the problem.

Whilst sympathetic to your child's needs -how will a council house sort this out ?

What happens if the council said, search for properties closer to town?

Pelvis

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

misuse of buggy’s? my child has a motor delay along with other issues and is unable to walk 2.5km to the shop and other amenities in the town. The buggy is to get from a to b, it’s not used to “fix” the problem- the extensive physical therapy and AFO’s are supposed to “fix” the problem.

You said you're going through buggies because of the distance from town and the fact your child is too big for them. The buggies are not fit for purpose. Get a wheelchair.

Littlenicky55

Clearly posting here was a mistake, I’m not here for judgment or advice on buggies or wheelchairs.
A buggy or a wheelchair doesn’t help when it comes to carrying this child up a stairs, or getting into the bath, changing nappies etc.
I was just looking to see what else I could do to be heard by the Council instead of being swept under the rug. Yes my partner works full time, minimum wage. We unfortunately cannot afford to buy a house if we could I would not be dealing with these people at all as I have enough to be doing also I don’t enjoy being spoken to like crap when I contact them.
Thanks for the replies, I’ll take them on board.

afkasurfjunkie

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

misuse of buggy’s? my child has a motor delay along with other issues and is unable to walk 2.5km to the shop and other amenities in the town. The buggy is to get from a to b, it’s not used to “fix” the problem- the extensive physical therapy and AFO’s are supposed to “fix” the problem.

Have you got a car? Very few young kids would be expected to walk that far to a shop.

power pants

Too much entitlement.................

Littlenicky55

afkasurfjunkie wrote: »

Have you got a car? Very few young kids would be expected to walk that far to a shop.

Unfortunately don’t have a car, hoping to save for one after Christmas.

Littlenicky55

power pants wrote: »

Too much entitlement.................

?????????

power pants

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

?????????

To be honest you comment on the attitude regarding the council, however your own isn't coming across too well on here either.

People are asking and myself included why you believe you are a priority?

There is no reason why you couldn't rent closer to where you would prefer to be.

When your partner is working and you have a roof over your head, you will not be seen as a priority.

afkasurfjunkie

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

Unfortunately don’t have a car, hoping to save for one after Christmas.

That’s your priority really so. You need to get a car sorted. If you were offered a house this minute but it was further away from amenities it would be of no use to you.

Pelvis

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

Clearly posting here was a mistake, I’m not here for judgment or advice on buggies or wheelchairs.

A buggy or a wheelchair doesn’t help when it comes to carrying this child up a stairs, or getting into the bath, changing nappies etc.

None of us are mind readers. Our responses to you are based on the information you provide. The only issue you highlighted in your post was your distance from town and use of buggies.

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

I was just looking to see what else I could do to be heard by the Council instead of being swept under the rug. Yes my partner works full time, minimum wage. We unfortunately cannot afford to buy a house if we could I would not be dealing with these people at all as I have enough to be doing also I don’t enjoy being spoken to like crap when I contact them.
Thanks for the replies, I’ll take them on board.

There's little else you can do. There is a housing shortage and a long waiting list and there are likely many above you who live under worse circumstances.

To alleviate some of your issues, you can keep an eye out for rental properties closer to town that are better suited to your needs, e.g a bungalow, ground floor apartment etc. You are likely to find a property like this before you are offered a house by the council.

Littlenicky55

power pants wrote: »

To be honest you comment on the attitude regarding the council, however your own isn't coming across too well on here either.

People are asking and myself included why you believe you are a priority?

There is no reason why you couldn't rent closer to where you would prefer to be.



When your partner is working and you have a roof over your head, you will not be seen as a priority.

If there was accommodation available to rent closer to the town we would be gone, unfortunately there isn’t. I don’t think I am a priority, I think my child deserves to at least be considered by them when they are allocating all of their new builds, and the houses people moved from to move into them.

Graces7

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

If there was accommodation available to rent closer to the town we would be gone, unfortunately there isn’t. I don’t think I am a priority, I think my child deserves to at least be considered by them when they are allocating all of their new builds, and the houses people moved from to move into them.

I agree totally. Meanwhile, ask at the doctors re a wheelchair etc\? I think the Public Health Nurse will help? Even that would be some support. And she may have more input that will support the help you really need.

DublinHun72

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

If there was accommodation available to rent closer to the town we would be gone, unfortunately there isn’t. I don’t think I am a priority, I think my child deserves to at least be considered by them when they are allocating all of their new builds, and the houses people moved from to move into them.

Your child is being considered when they are allocating homes. You would be higher on the list than say a single man. It’s a massive list with people who have no homes and are living In hotels with kids on it. I’m not sure why you can’t see that there is an allocation process.

Littlenicky55

Graces7 wrote: »

I agree totally. Meanwhile, ask at the doctors re a wheelchair etc\? I think the Public Health Nurse will help? Even that would be some support. And she may have more input that will support the help you really need.

I was told my child would need to be issued a special needs buggy from the occupational therapist, in our area the waiting time to see one I 2.5 years. We pay privately for occupational therapy but as it’s private a specialist buggy cannot be issued.

Littlenicky55

DublinHun72 wrote: »

Your child is being considered when they are allocating homes. You would be higher on the list than say a single man. It’s a massive list with people who have no homes and are living In hotels with kids on it. I’m not sure why you can’t see that there is an allocation process.

I appreciate that there’s plenty of people in need, I’ve familirised myself with their specific allocation policy and they are going against it telling me I’m wrong when it’s there in black and white

GoneHome

What age is the child, would you consider getting a part-time job yourself while he is in school/care or in the evenings/weekends when your partner gets home from work, so that maybe you could then save towards a mortgage and buy a place of your own rather than waiting for the Council to 'give' you a house?

power pants

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

If there was accommodation available to rent closer to the town we would be gone, unfortunately there isn’t. I don’t think I am a priority, I think my child deserves to at least be considered by them when they are allocating all of their new builds, and the houses people moved from to move into them.

You have said you are privately renting
Your partner is working full time
You are paying private for occupational therapy
you hope to have a car by Xmas
you currently have a roof over your head
You are not about to be made homeless

there is a huge massive housing crisis , there are 1000s and 1000s who claim to be in worse situations and will be looked after first

can you not see why you would not be deemed as a priority or considered any time soon?

Littlenicky55

power pants wrote: »

You have said you are privately renting
Your partner is working full time
You are paying private for occupational therapy
you hope to have a car by Xmas
you currently have a roof over your head
You are not about to be made homeless

there is a huge massive housing crisis , there are 1000s and 1000s who claim to be in worse situations and will be looked after first

can you not see why you would not be deemed as a priority or considered any time soon?

My partner works full time and is payed minimum wage. I actually said I hope to save for a car after Christmas which will take a long time as you can imagine I don’t have buckets of money. I pay €80 per hour for occupational therapy as it is a necessity for my child.... that doesn’t mean I’m flush with cash. I like anyone else put my child’s needs above all else. I currently have a roof over my head, the rent is going up in January and it’s very possible I will no longer be able to keep on top of it.

Littlenicky55

GoneHome wrote: »

What age is the child, would you consider getting a part-time job yourself while he is in school/care or in the evenings/weekends when your partner gets home from work, so that maybe you could then save towards a mortgage and buy a place of your own rather than waiting for the Council to 'give' you a house?

Yes

GoneHome

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

I currently have a roof over my head, the rent is going up in January and it’s very possible I will no longer be able to keep on top of it.

Presumably you are getting HAP/Rent Allowance if your partner is on minimum wage so really you're not paying full rent

Rachiee

Fair play OP it sounds like you are doing everything you can. Anyone working in allocations in any of the city councils are having a horrible time at the moment things have just been getting worse and worse for the past ten years, if they appear unsympathetic they probably are because because they may have just gotten off the phone with someone in a far worse situation. they are only human and if they allowed themselves to feel genuine empathy for every person they spoke to they would end up having a breakdown especially because there is nothing they can do to help because there aren't enough homes.
I do think you should be entitled to help but the reality of the situation is that the help isn't there.

Graham

Mod Note

Off topic posts deleted.

No further attempts to turn this into a rant about immigration.

Graces7

GoneHome wrote: »

Presumably you are getting HAP/Rent Allowance if your partner is on minimum wage so really you're not paying full rent

Not sure what you are implying? We on HAP etc pay what we can afford. We have no choice as we cannot pay full rent.
That has nothing to do with the OPs problem. Already on the list 9 years. \with a disabled child..

power pants

It’s clear what the poster is implying, op will be claiming hap which is assistance by the council, to help contribute the majority of the rent to people who are less fortunate.

Therefore the council are helping him.

The point is there is a shortage of houses and people in greater need. Unfortunately that is the way things are at the moment.

Littlenicky55

Graces7 wrote: »

Not sure what you are implying? We on HAP etc pay what we can afford. We have no choice as we cannot pay full rent.
That has nothing to do with the OPs problem. Already on the list 9 years. \with a disabled child..

Thank you!!!!!!!! Absolutely nothing to do with my question or what I’m looking for advice on. Most of the replies I’ve gotten have strayed also...
people seem to have a preconceived idea of me because my post relates to Council housing.

Graces7

power pants wrote: »

It’s clear what the poster is implying, op will be claiming hap which is assistance by the council, to help contribute the majority of the rent to people who are less fortunate.

Therefore the council are helping him.

The point is there is a shortage of houses and people in greater need. Unfortunately that is the way things are at the moment.

It is not the majority but a proportion according to earnings. If the OP IS claiming.

and again, nine years already? with a disabled child and all that that entails?

power pants

Op is not seen as a priority

Far more homeless in worse predicaments

Not all the 9 years has been with a child with learning difficulties? Unless the 9 year old is being transported in a buggy as op said ?

Graces7

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

Thank you!!!!!!!! Absolutely nothing to do with my question or what I’m looking for advice on. Most of the replies I’ve gotten have strayed also...
people seem to have a preconceived idea of me because my post relates to Council housing.

Been in situations myself and often with the council it is banging your head against a brick wall... living now without a shower or bath etc as I just cannot face any more headaches... promised a year ago. Just too much to hassle them.

Which is why I asked re support from elsewhere. Please God you get that. As your child gets bigger it is only going to get harder.

Graces7

power pants wrote: »

Op is not seen as a priority

Far more homeless in worse predicaments

Not all the 9 years has been with a child with learning difficulties? Unless the 9 year old is being transported in a buggy as op said ?

Not the issue that was raised. Some kindness helps.

power pants

I said earlier I sympathize

However the facts are they are not a priority and even if are there is a shortage of council houses

Littlenicky55

power pants wrote: »

Op is not seen as a priority

Far more homeless in worse predicaments

Not all the 9 years has been with a child with learning difficulties? Unless the 9 year old is being transported in a buggy as op said ?

First of all nobody mentioned “learning difficulties”
Learning difficulties is a phrase first said by you, why do you assume a child with autism, sensory processing disorder and mobility issues has learning difficulties?? That says a lot about you and the knowledge you have or the right you have to comment.
Second you’ve said it repeatedly “op is not a priority” that’s your opinion.... stop forcing it!
Thirdly just don’t comment, you are goading people who are trying to defend me.

power pants

I’m not forcing anything, council seem to agree....

Anyway best of luck , can’t see anything happening soon

Littlenicky55

Graces7 wrote: »

Been in situations myself and often with the council it is banging your head against a brick wall... living now without a shower or bath etc as I just cannot face any more headaches... promised a year ago. Just too much to hassle them.

Which is why I asked re support from elsewhere. Please God you get that. As your child gets bigger it is only going to get harder.

Absolutely! Exactly like banging your head against a brick wall. I was unsure about posting here for advice, it was a last resort and I’m sorry I did as I just feel worse about the whole situation.
Thank you though for your kindness.

iamwhoiam

What age is your child Op ? If he needs a special buggy or a wheelchair and you are struggling to get one then my suggestion is to go to Vincent de Paul . They can help you out with a once off special request

JDD

Can I just say firstly, that it's a disgraceful situation that a family can be on a housing list for 9 years. I think we can all agree on that.

And even worse is a situation where a family with a special needs child is on a housing list for 9 years.

Like any parent, LittleNicky is trying to do the best by her family. If I was in her position, I'd be doing exactly the same as her. Writing to every TD and councilor I know, and scouring every source on the internet to see if there was anything I was not thinking of, anyone else I could contact. It shouldn't be that way, but we all know that this is how things work in this country. And as much as LittleNicky might want to start a revolution, she probably doesn't have time.

Answering her request for help with things like "there are others much worse off than you" is not exactly helpful is it? If she was asking for help in feeding her family, would you say "there's lots of starving families worse off than you, count yourself lucky?". No you wouldn't. And answering her question with "get a wheelchair" is hardly of assistance either is it? What she wants is some stability for her child, rather than running the risk of a private landlord selling up. That's especially important in the case of a child with autism who needs familiarity and continuity.

All I can say Nicky, is to keep up the hard work. Try to not get too disheartened with the attitude of the council staff, they have hundreds ringing them just like you, and don't have any good news for anyone. It must be a very tough job. I don't really know anything about the council housing system that would help, but I hope things work out for you.

power pants

Op original post was asking ways to be heard to get housed quicker

I don’t understand your point about renting private so wants stability? Anyone that rents property privately runs that risk and also have children

I sympathize regarding the autism but I would argue the case that all kids are equal on the housing list to a certain degree

Maybe it is more to do with resources and help from the Hse than being housed quicker that op needs to concentrate more on

A wheelchair would surely be beneficial than a buggy especially if the child is 9

FWIW I hope op gets the help and outcome for his family but that doesn;t change the situation unfortunately

Op seems to have gone through all the correct channels to be heard

Littlenicky55

JDD wrote: »

Can I just say firstly, that it's a disgraceful situation that a family can be on a housing list for 9 years. I think we can all agree on that.

And even worse is a situation where a family with a special needs child is on a housing list for 9 years.

Like any parent, LittleNicky is trying to do the best by her family. If I was in her position, I'd be doing exactly the same as her. Writing to every TD and councilor I know, and scouring every source on the internet to see if there was anything I was not thinking of, anyone else I could contact. It shouldn't be that way, but we all know that this is how things work in this country. And as much as LittleNicky might want to start a revolution, she probably doesn't have time.

Answering her request for help with things like "there are others much worse off than you" is not exactly helpful is it? If she was asking for help in feeding her family, would you say "there's lots of starving families worse off than you, count yourself lucky?". No you wouldn't. And answering her question with "get a wheelchair" is hardly of assistance either is it? What she wants is some stability for her child, rather than running the risk of a private landlord selling up. That's especially important in the case of a child with autism who needs familiarity and continuity.

All I can say Nicky, is to keep up the hard work. Try to not get too disheartened with the attitude of the council staff, they have hundreds ringing them just like you, and don't have any good news for anyone. It must be a very tough job. I don't really know anything about the council housing system that would help, but I hope things work out for you.

Thanks for your advice and kind words, I really appreciate it. I feel I have exhausted every avenue and was hoping someone here would be able to tell me an avenue that I haven’t already gone down (hoping for a miracle) but somehow in the wording of my post this seems to have gotten lost. Thanks again

Littlenicky55

power pants wrote: »

Op original post was asking ways to be heard to get housed quicker

I don’t understand your point about renting private so wants stability? Anyone that rents property privately runs that risk and also have children

I sympathize regarding the autism but I would argue the case that all kids are equal on the housing list to a certain degree

Maybe it is more to do with resources and help from the Hse than being housed quicker that op needs to concentrate more on

A wheelchair would surely be beneficial than a buggy especially if the child is 9

FWIW I hope op gets the help and outcome for his family but that doesn;t change the situation unfortunately

Op seems to have gone through all the correct channels to be heard

I would just like to say in my original post that I never said I was trying to get housed quicker, I am trying to get housed period. (Also never said my child had learning difficulties, this was another assumption made)
A wheelchair, as I said in a previous comment was ruled inappropriate by a Physiotherapist.
Again, in my original post I said I was looking for ways to be heard... not heard quicker.
Thanks for your input and for wishing me well.

iamwhoiam

Littlenicky55 wrote: »

I would just like to say in my original post that I never said I was trying to get housed quicker, I am trying to get housed period. (Also never said my child had learning difficulties, this was another assumption made)
A wheelchair, as I said in a previous comment was ruled inappropriate by a Physiotherapist.
Again, in my original post I said I was looking for ways to be heard... not heard quicker.
Thanks for your input and for wishing me well.

A friend of mine had a buggy for her nine year old child . It was a blue and white stripe foldable type and made for older kids . It had larger seat and wheels as far as I remember by Maclaren .
Again , maybe Vincent de Paul could help you with this and I know they can help people with special request for children in need of help .