A mother and family carer from Tipperary has spoken about her relief after being saved from homelessness.
Barbara Kovach, her husband George and son Liam were given their eviction notice back in January, as their landlord needed to move back into their home. “We were going to lose the house we had lived in for 12 years.
“Our landlord had been living in a house that was provided to them through work, but they have since retired so needed their house back. It was either going to be us or them ending up homeless,” she told RSVP Live.
Read more:Barbara, carer for son who has Down Syndrome and autism, at risk of homelessness
This was a serious worry for Barbara, as her son Liam has autism, Down Syndrome and an eating disorder. He has a variety of complex health and medical needs, and being put into a homeless hub would not have worked, according to Barbara.
Barbara and her family were renting their home through the local authority’s Rental Accommodation Scheme.
“We wouldn’t have been able to afford to rent on our own [without the RAS scheme],” Barbara says.
She explains that as a full-time carer to Liam, she receives carer’s allowance. This is a means-tested payment which amounts to a maximum of €236 per week, and her husband is retired. “We have no extra income to buy our own house or rent.
“The council said they would try to find a house to buy that they would then rent to us [as social housing tenants].”
However, months of searching proved fruitless. Their council had a policy not to bid against first time buyers, meaning they could not bid on a lot of suitable properties.
While Barbara understood this policy completely, she says she wished an exception could have been made for her family as it was an emergency situation.
“We were starting to get really worried as we literally only had a few weeks left,” says Barbara. “We were down to the wire.”
Moving houses would be hard enough for Liam, but living in emergency accommodation in a hotel would have been very difficult for him, and she doesn’t think he would have coped, Barbara says.
Thankfully, after months of searching, the council found a suitable house for the family. “Two weeks ago they contacted us and said they had found a suitable place. We were overjoyed, we were so relieved.”
The house is already owned by the council, so the family should not have to leave again. “This will be the last house I will ever be in, unless I win the lotto,” she says.
Barbara took Liam to see the new house, but unfortunately he gave it a thumbs down. “We are hoping he will adjust in time. He finds changes to his daily life very challenging, so we will introduce him to the new house slowly.
“His new room will be a carbon copy of his old room. Even the paint will be the same. Routine is very important to Liam.”
The only issue is that the new house is in Clonmel, while the family are currently residing in Cashel. “It is taking Liam out of the community he knows, and transporting him to his day service will be a bit of a challenge, but we will manage.”
Barbara adds that she and her husband are in their 60s and are a bit nervous about starting over in a new town at their age, but overall they are looking forward to it.
Barbara says the family are so grateful that they will have a new home. “I have to thank the many people who helped us, such as people in the council, councillor Richie Molloy, and TDs Jackie Chaill and Martin Browne.”
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