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Child Item

'I just want a home for my children' - mum on housing list for 12 years

Foxhound38

The article, for those that want to read it.

The jist of it is that she's 32, eldest child is 4, and she's been on the housing list for 12 years, and it's all the government and everyone elses fault that she doesn't have a "forever home" and shame on x, y and z etc etc.

I'm sorry, this might be an unpopular opinion but something just isn't adding up here - why would anyone go on the housing list and spend 10 years on it starting at aged 18 with no dependents if there was ever a plan to actually do what the rest of us do and work and save and THEN get a house? Stories like this make me feel like those of us who burst our b0llocks to work and pay tax and save for a mortgage are the eejits here - maybe we all should have decided to give up on any plan to be a productive member of society and went on the housing list at aged 18 - 20, maybe have a few sprogs we have no way of supporting properly and have a moan to the paper about how our subsequently crap situation is everyone else fault and hey presto; free house with no mortgage to deal with!

I have sympathy for people's circumstances and it must be difficult in her current situation with 2 kids (although why in the name of jaysus you'd have TWO kids with no way to put a roof over their heads is beyond me) but at what point in this homeless crisis can government and society not be blamed for crap life choices and a lack of being ar$ed to take responsibility for people's own lives?

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kona

Its a bad joke this is. And the same scrote will be housed in a house bought for cash by a housing authority. The same house that a hard working tax payer got outbid on by a housing authority using their tax money.

The manipulation of housing prices and rent by this government is a ****ing disgrace. Thats before you get into them unloading stock off to vulture funds via tgeir control of banks.

FF may have brought us to our knees, FG gave us a good stamp on the head when we were down.

Owryan

gazzer wrote: »

So if I am reading this article correctly she spent 10 years on the housing list as a single person and then had her first child? Can you even go on the housing list as a single person at 18?

"Mammy and Daddy threw me out and ive nowhere to live, honest*"

*May not be honest but it's one way to get on the list.

Wheeliebin30

Rich boy Barrett on lmfm now saying they want a right to home for everyone put into legislation.

Lads stop paying your mortgages were all getting a free house!

Who's gonna pay for it?

Sure money grows on trees.

Foxhound38

seamus wrote: »

Because the state has created this situation.

Some people might be brought up with the ethos to get working early, get into extra education, do crappy hours for crappy pay, burst your bollox doing unpaid overtime, live in hovels and bedsits, socialise constantly, and you might get to be a partner in an accounting firm like Daddy is by the time you're forty.

Other people are raised being told to apply for social welfare early, get on the housing list, live in substandard accommodation, have a couple of kids, and you might get a house by the time you're 30. They don't know any different. It's generational knowledge - their grandparents were given a house by the state and never taught the value of earning for oneself, so they've never been taught the same.

Neither are "right" per se, but one of them costs the state money, and unnecessarily puts the individual at danger of not only poverty, but also disease, mental illness and early death.

So we need to figure out a better way of handling this and encouraging more people into the workforce rather than signing on for benefits as soon as they turn 18.

Maybe we need to look at paying people in areas with a high level of welfare dependency to go to college? It sure costs less than a life of taxpayer dependency.

gazzer

Gatling wrote: »

Yes and tens of thousands of 18 year olds do

Bloody hell. I could have been having parties in my flat as a teenager

at the tax payers expense. Damn it anyway.

gazzer

Owryan wrote: »

"Mammy and Daddy threw me out and ive nowhere to live, honest*"

*May not be honest but it's one way to get on the list.

I always thought that if you go down that route then you would you have to stay in a homeless shelter as you are declaring yourself homeless?

Foxhound38

Sparks43 wrote: »

Ah sure why don't we keep bashing people on welfare.

Or even better to be able to post on the forums a current p60 is required.

Not all that are homeless are wasters. Quite a lot work but still cannot afford to rent or buy at the crazy prices nowadays. But sure let's still run them down

Did you even read the article? That girl is a disgrace and if the sense of entitlement she displays doesn't boil another taxpayers blood then they are better people than me.

PuppyMcPupFace

Sparks43 wrote: »

Ah sure why don't we keep bashing people on welfare.

Or even better to be able to post on the forums a current p60 is required.

Not all that are homeless are wasters. Quite a lot work but still cannot afford to rent or buy at the crazy prices nowadays. But sure let's still run them down

I shall continue to slag off people making a lifestyle out of welfare.

"I can't afford to live in Dublin, I want a free house". Get to f***, I live 70 miles from work and commute each day, get a job, get a life and let the taxes go to helping people who can't help themselves - instead of those who refuse to.

BillyBobBS

What a surprise to see a thread like this on Boards. A real shocker.

howamidifferent

fizzypish wrote: »

Living off of the government isn't much of a life. I don't know how people manage it. These kind of stories don't bother me anymore. I just accept some people get away with ****, some don't. My dad worked all his life. Paid his taxes. Lost his job in his late 50s ish. Tough to get re hired at that point. He had an ailment and a genuine one at that. Got cut off from Illness benefit. Put down a few really tough years. I say fair play to people who can live off of the government long term with no intentions of getting work. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if it was me.

They are not living off the government, thay are living off you and me , the taxpayers of the country.

SteM

Sparks43 wrote: »

Ah sure why don't we keep bashing people on welfare.

Or even better to be able to post on the forums a current p60 is required.

Not all that are homeless are wasters. Quite a lot work but still cannot afford to rent or buy at the crazy prices nowadays. But sure let's still run them down

I'd bash a 20 year old that thinks it's okay to join the council housing list without any dependants. Instead of talking in general terms how about commenting on this specific case? I must be a ****ing mug for getting married, having one child that I can afford, working hard to save for a deposit, get a mortgage and pay that mortgage every month. As a single 20 year old I would never have dreamed of joining the council housing list - and I grew up in a council house!

BillyBobBS

PuppyMcPupFace wrote: »

I shall continue to slag off people making a lifestyle out of welfare.

"I can't afford to live in Dublin, I want a free house". Get to f***, I live 70 miles from work and commute each day, get a job, get a life and let the taxes go to helping people who can't help themselves - instead of those who refuse to.

What free houses.

BrokenArrows

fizzypish wrote: »

I say fair play to people who can live off of the government long term with no intentions of getting work. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if it was me.

Thats the problem. Some people feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to live off the government.

PuppyMcPupFace

Wheeliebin30 wrote: »

Rich boy Barrett on lmfm now saying they want a right to home for everyone put into legislation.

Lads stop paying your mortgages were all getting a free house!

Who's gonna pay for it?

Sure money grows on trees.

Perhaps his rich actress mummy can stump up a few quid ? He's more of a toff than that Rees-Mogg bloke.

kylith

Has this woman been offered housing? If so, for what reason did she turn it down?

IMO people on the housing list who are not in employment should be moved to the ghost estates in the midlands. If they refuse then tough; they have been given adequate housing, they have refused it, they get nothing and can sleep on their parent's floor with their children. We'd all love to live down the road from Mammy, but it isn't practical.

neonsofa

This sentence just sums it up- "I have spent all my adult life on a waiting list for my own home and renting while I wait."

She has a home. She is renting, same as everybody else who can't afford to buy- actually she is probably getting rent supplement and not paying the rent all from her own pocket like others, so she is actually better off than them.

And she has spent her adult life "waiting". Not working when she had full availability to work every hour under the sun, not relocating for work when she had no dependents in school. She had a whole adult life to turn things round and work for her house and instead she "waited" and threw a few kids into the mix.

Owryan

gazzer wrote: »

I always thought that if you go down that route then you would you have to stay in a homeless shelter as you are declaring yourself homeless?

And you go on the housing list, hey presto.

In my current career path I ve worked with a family where once a child turns 18 they are kicked out of the family home and straight down to the council offices with their "woe is me tale". They are playing the system and winning.

There are multi generational families out there that don't work (legally), are funded and housed by the taxpayer and are teaching a new generation that this is how to exist.

There was a woman protesting in Carlow recently about being homeless. The council came out and said that most of her immediate and extended family were in council houses and it was strange none of them could help her out.

Foxhound38

BillyBobBS wrote: »

What a surprise to see a thread like this on Boards. A real shocker.

If you feel so bad about it then maybe you should voluntarily agree to take on an extra shift to finance the house of the next 18 year old with no dependents who waltz's into the council looking for a free house.

Minderbinder

Any able bodied person on social welfare for more than a year should be made to work for it, whether that's cleaning the roads or trimming hedges. They should be put to work.

The government are actually afraid of agitating the career dolers. I can sort of understand them in a way. It's like stirring a cesspit, best left alone.

But these people are going to have children who feel similar entitled and work shy. Something will have to be done either now or down the line. Educated people need to start having families earlier too, not waiting until their thirties, although I understand they're trying to be responsible in a system that makes it difficult for young employed people.

Winterlong

Minderbinder wrote: »

Any able bodied person on social welfare for more than a year should be made to work for it, whether that's cleaning the roads or trimming hedges. They should be put to work.

.

The dole should not be a career choice but a helping hand when people most need it.

Gringo180

howamidifferent wrote: »

I'm not for a minute suggesting we return to the days of the laundries or workhouses but in these cases why not have people who have no means to house themselves put up in shared accomodation with people in similar circumstances, instead of giving them houses? Surely it would be an incentive to get out and do better for yourself in the long run? If you want a house of your own then work for it...

Working doesnt guarantee you can afford a mortgage especially with the wages some employers pay particulary in Dublin. Anybody who works a full time job should be able to afford a house but todays society of exploiting workers and under paying them means only a minority can only afford it.

dotsman

gctest50 wrote: »

The place needs babies though or the aging population thing will get worse

"There'll be a million over-65s in Ireland by 2031"

I think you're missing the main point in that. We need babies who grow into productive members of society, not welfare scroungers who only add to the burden.

This woman is a victim of the welfare state, and her children are destined to follow her.

We need to change our policies to dramatically reduce the number of children spawned by scroungers (currently strongly encouraged) and increase the number of children responsible adults are having (currently strongly discouraged).

myshirt

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

They were probably sailors and have gone back out to sea.

Oi, might have been a Pakistani postman for all you know.

LirW

I don't get this sob-story of "kid had to move a few times already". My 7y/o moved 4 times in his life, when I hit the age of 18, I moved 6 times. Kids deal with this pretty well if the parents don't make a big deal out of it.

I think everything else has already been said.

flaneur

One thing we could do as a quick fix for some of the issues, using the excess housing stock in ridiculous locations:

Take a look at where there are houses in ridiculous locations that aren't selling. We still have plenty of post-bonkers-era homes sitting idle in various far flung towns.

Encourage companies that do not need to be in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford, the commuter belt around Dublin etc to move there by offering them some cheap/incentivised office space (there are plenty of commercial units sitting idle in these places).

Then try and match up the skills of people living in temp. accommodation with those jobs and encourage them strongly to move there.

Set up a recruitment agency, hire in HR experts etc etc if necessary to do the matching.

Also in some of those ghost estates, whack in some fibre broadband and make them "remote home office hub" and anyone who is struggling in the cities, but could possibly relocate could maybe consider moving there?

There are relatively cheap ways of getting some of that unnecessary housing infrastructure in ridiculous locations used up, even if it means a bit of incentivisation and subsidising a some fibre optics.

---

In the meantime, figure out why the hell construction costs are so high in the cities. It is *not* building standards or fancy designs as the quality of our buildings are not particularly high by international standards. The costs have to be coming from everything else: land, financing, levies, taxes or whatever else.

We need to fix the problem and make the housing market and the way we finance it work for the country - not for a bunch of speculators who are basically milking us dry.

seamus

Foxhound38 wrote: »

Maybe we need to look at paying people in areas with a high level of welfare dependency to go to college? It sure costs less than a life of taxpayer dependency.

Perhaps. I'm always wary of direct payments like this though. You may just be encouraging other people to reduce their income, lie about it, or move out of home to avail of it.

This is a complicated issue. Society tells us that we should all work hard at a good job, earn good money, buy big houses and aim to be a millionaire, retired by the time we're fifty.

That's neither necessary on an individual level nor desirable at a social level. Someone who works as a welder and brings home €30k a year is no less successful than a banker bringing home €300k a year. Everybody dies, the contents of your bank account when you die isn't noted on any permanent record.

Everyone should be encouraged to work, to earn enough that they can wash their own face and contribute to society. It doesn't matter what you work at, but prioritise mental stimulation, socialising & happiness above how much you earn.

Stop promoting high-paying jobs, stop corralling everyone into college. There are enough people who want to be doctors and architects and bankers, you don't need to encourage them. Start throwing the advertising and the perks at the low-paying jobs. The binmen and the brickies and the shop workers. Show people that any honest day's work is rewarding and valuable, and that there's as much honour and dignity in flipping burgers as there is in removing organs. Then you'll begin to see a society where people are happy to engage and to contribute.

We're taught that working is a slog, you break your balls working for someone else, 40 miserable years at the coalface and then you die. Is it any wonder that a segment of society opts out of that? Maybe we're the chumps and they've got it right.

boardsuser1

I haven't read the article before posting this.

My own case was as follows;

Now 32 in a council house.

Have 4 children and 2 more on the way, the 1st child is from a previous relationship and i maintain them.

I was placed into my own apartment at 17 by the then Southern Health Board having spent the previous half a decade in state care.

My family were and very much still are dysfunctional and i was the unwanted child, it showed as well as they tried every means possible to get rid of me once and for all.

Aged 18 i was asked by the S.H.B to register for the housing list, 18 & single but working, no problem i did.

I've been in and out of work due to health reasons over the last 15/16 years.

In 2012 with 2 full time children and 1 part time we were allocated a council house, the rent started at €50 per week, now it stands at €140 due to the income between us being high, the wife works full time, i'm currently employed but out sick.

Earlier this year before my sick leave began, we decided we would like to buy a house, so we applied for a mortgage and were granted one.

That is the only good bit, what we were offered was just over €100,000.

We couldn't afford anything on the market to for our requirements and while we could buy the house we live in, it is in need of extensive work and we wouldn't have enough to refurbish with the remaining money, we are now in the position of just having to apply to the council for a transfer to a larger property and hopefully purchase that god willing!

gazzer

LirW wrote: »

I don't get this sob-story of "kid had to move a few times already". My 7y/o moved 4 times in his life, when I hit the age of 18, I moved 6 times. Kids deal with this pretty well if the parents don't make a big deal out of it.

I think everything else has already been said.

Exactly. By the time I was 5 I had lived in 4 different locations. By the time I was 22 I had lived in 10

osarusan

As long as you have a welfare system in place, you are going to get a certain number of people who will abuse/milk it.

By reducing/removing support to the point that it becomes unattractive to them, you make everybody else on support suffer also.

It's an entitlement/attitudinal issue among those who milk the system, and truly, I don't really know what can be done about that.

speedboatchase

I know nothing about the law on this, but can people genuinely apply for housing at the age of 18, with no dependents?!