Mother and three children with additional needs living in ‘absolute squalor’ denied medical priority twice from Dublin City Council
A single mother of three living in a cramped, mould-infested house in Dublin 8 has been denied medical priority twice from Dublin City Council, despite doctors urging the authority to relocate the family.
Jasmine Mooney has been living in a two-bedroom bungalow in Inchicore for the past four years.
But persistent damp, mould, insect infestations and faulty wiring have turned the house into “a serious health and safety hazard” for her young family, she said.
The house, owned and managed by approved housing body (AHB) the Peter McVerry Trust, has also had broken central heating for the last 18 months, forcing the family to rely on electric heaters in winter.
Drainage and structural problems are rife in the property, caused by towering invasive plants – Japanese knotweed and buddleia – that have taken over the back garden, rendering it unusable.
“It’s an absolute disgrace,” Ms Mooney (28) told the Irish Independent. “My kids are severely sick due to this house and this environment.”
Her three children range from 10 months to six years in age and have spent most of their lives with recurring illnesses linked to conditions in the house.
This is on top of a range of additional conditions her children have, such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in the case of her middle child, hypermobility.
“I’ve got three high-needs kids, and one of them needs a wheelchair, and that’s for life,” Ms Mooney said, gesturing to her two-year-old son, who is non-verbal and sitting upright in a baby chair.
“Where can I fit a wheelchair in here? I need a special bed for him too, but there’s no room.”
The family of four all share a bedroom, due to a mould and ant infestation in the other bedroom, making it unsuitable for the children, particularly her eldest son, who has asthma.
“They need a bigger space, they need a garden, they need a house that I’m going to be able to safeguard them. They don’t have that here,” Ms Mooney said.
As she spoke, her eight-month-old daughter, in a rocker at her feet, spluttered.
“We’ve been very sick with chest infections. We’ve had skin problems, rashes on our skin and things like that, and vomiting. So, we’ve just been very, very unwell,” Ms Mooney said.
“We need to be moved out urgently because it’s affecting their health. And especially with myself, I’m pregnant, so it’s affecting my unborn child.”
Behind her, a line of small brown insects made its way across the kitchen counter.
“They’re pharaoh ants,” she said. “There’s an infestation of them. It’s getting to the point where the kids are eating them, they’re getting into the food, the fridge, the beds.”
Ms Mooney informed the Peter McVerry Trust about the ants, but said the spray they administered was ineffective due to the specialised treatment required to get rid of the pests.
Her washing machine also broke and she blames the house’s faulty wiring and poor drainage, forcing her to replace it out of pocket.
“They said they couldn’t provide [a new machine] because the [Peter McVerry] Trust has no money. I also had to get a new fridge for myself recently and that’s my third fridge,” she said.
Ms Mooney also said there have been loose sparks from switches and lights going up in flames. She said her six-year-old son had been burnt by a lamp that spontaneously combusted in the family bedroom.
“I said it to Peter McVerry, they didn’t do anything about it and the plug is still hanging off the wall in there. And then another fire broke out in that room by another plug,” Ms Mooney said.
Despite the issues with the house and Ms Mooney’s children all having additional needs, her application for medical priority on Dublin City Council’s housing list has been rejected twice in the last year.
In their second rejection letter, the council warn that if she appeals and the decision is refused again, “further applications will not be considered” unless there is a “demonstrable change in housing circumstances”.
This is despite letters from several medical professionals, seen by the Irish Independent, urging the council to move the family from their existing home.
A Kilmainham Medical Centre doctor wrote that it was a “medical necessity” to move the children into a “clean, dry and mould-free environment as soon as possible to prevent chronic illness and ensure their healthy development”.
A letter from the Rotunda Hospital said staff had “significant concerns” about the welfare of Ms Mooney’s children in their current location.
“In our professional opinion, a transfer to a more suitable and adequately-sized accommodation is not simply desirable but clinically necessary,” the letter read.
“The current accommodation is placing significant and unsustainable pressure on Jasmine’s mental health … There is a clear interaction between housing instability, parental mental health and child developmental outcomes,” they wrote.
Following a query from the Irish Independent, Dublin City Council informed Ms Mooney that her case had now been placed on the medical priority list, but she said she would keep pushing until she has the keys to a four-bedroom home.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Ó Meachair, who has been working with Ms Mooney to highlight her housing issues, said the conditions she is living in are “exceptionally bad”.
“The question I put to Dublin City Council was: if this case is not a medical priority, can you please tell me which cases are? Because this is like, you’ve three high-needs children, overcrowded living conditions, dampness, mould, the back garden,” he said.
“I think the best word that you could use to describe it is squalor. They live in absolute squalor,” he said.
“That’s not acceptable in any situation, but it’s certainly not acceptable when you have three children with additional needs.
“It just seems like they were forgotten about. And I really worry about the fact that there are probably many other cases like them.”
Mr Ó Meachair said his heart goes out to Ms Mooney, but also to other families in similar situations who may be suffering in silence.
“If this was a private rented thing, people would be rightly outraged. But this is an AHB. The Peter McVerry Trust were established to look after needy and vulnerable people and these are the conditions that vulnerable people are living in under their watch,” he said.
“It’s horrendous and it’s so, so frustrating as a public representative. We get presentations from AHBs and councils all the time, but when you see the lived reality of people, it’s just soul-destroying.”
A spokesperson for the Peter McVerry Trust said: “We are aware of the issues raised in relation to this property and have been in contact with the tenant regarding maintenance matters over time.”
They said they were engaging directly with Ms Mooney and would schedule a meeting with her this week.
“We regret that the tenant feels her concerns have not been adequately addressed and will continue working with her to ensure any outstanding issues are resolved as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“The safety and well-being of our tenants remains our priority.”
Dublin City Council did not respond to a request for comment.