Pensioner narrowly avoids being homeless for Christmas
Named ‘Frank’, he broke down a number of times as he told his story on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday.
“I pay €1,250 per month, my pension is €150 per week so I have to go out and work, whatever I can get — a few odd jobs here and there.
“Whatever I get is to pay the rent and anything else covers food, electricity, and whatever else I need,” said Frank.
“I’m running to stand still, some weeks I don’t have work and other weeks the weather is against me,” he added. Now, after more than seven years in his two-bedroom rented home, he is being evicted.
He had engaged with Dublin City Council and the charity Alone, in an attempt to find alternative accommodation as prospective landlords chose not to take him on as a tenant due to his age.
Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty heard his story and said she would personally contact the pensioner.
“I am going to engage personally with ‘Frank’ this week because it is not acceptable to anybody that a 71-year-old man should be put out of his home on Christmas week,” Ms Doherty said.
However, later yesterday, chief executive of Alone Sean Moynihan said that Frank had been “sorted” for accommodation.
However, he emphasised that there are many more people like Frank in Ireland.
“A total of 22% of older people do not own their own house.
He added: “Private rented accommodation isn’t the answer.
“If we don’t plan for this, the housing situation will be worse in five years’ time,” Mr Moynihan told the .
He pointed out that most people have short-term lease arrangements and are therefore only 200 days away from homelessness.
“You get a long-term lease if you’re renting a shop. In accommodation you don’t have this — you are 200 days away from homelessness,” said Mr Moynihan.
He said it is unfortunate that Frank had to go public with his story in order to find safety and security, but acknowledged his bravery in doing so.
“He was five days away from going into emergency accommodation.
“But this isn’t a Christmas story for us, this happens to people like Frank in January, February, March and June,” said the Alone chief.
The pensioner had previously lived and worked in England and had been divorced for 25 years.
