Lack of emergency accommodation in Wexford forcing parents to travel up and down county to bring children to school

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Children from Co Wexford are facing lengthy, unnecessary commutes to and from school due to the lack of emergency accommodation in the county.

Having already submitted motions on this issue previously, Councillor Tom Forde said he was left with no choice but to do so again due to lack of action taken by Wexford County Council (WCC).

Speaking at the March meeting of WCC, Cllr Forde said the last time he submitted the motion he was informed that the council sought ‘expressions of interest’ from property owners who may be in a position to provide emergency accommodation every two years.

"This isn’t enough,” he said, “this should be done every month.”

Although chief executive Eddie Taaffe said the lack of emergency accommodation available wasn’t for the “want of trying”, Cllr Forde’s Sinn Féin colleague, Aoife Rose O’Brien, said she knew of a property owner who was willing to set up a service in the Rosslare area.

“There’s an individual in my district who is still interested in providing this service for the council,” she said. “I have previously brought this to the attention of the council.”

Cllr Forde’s motion, which was seconded by Cllr O’Brien, and carried by his fellow councillors, read: "This council recognises the need for emergency accommodation across county Wexford and that access to emergency accommodation is currently uneven with some districts lacking local provision.

"We ask that this council aim for the provision of accommodation within their own district for residents that face an immediately housing emergency with an emphasis on those who have children and employment in their district so that their homelessness is not compounded further by greater disruption to their education and employment."