ANN’S four-year-old son, who is suspected of being on the autism spectrum, screams, cries, and bangs his head on the floor on returning from a walk to the hotel where he and his mother have been living in one room homeless accommodation for more than two years.
The little family is one of many who are homeless but whose disability and special needs details are not recorded when they come into the homeless services system, Cllr Sarah Beasley was told.
The Aontú councillor asked at last week’s meeting of the Metropolitan District of Limerick City and County Council for the number of children with disabilities in homeless services.
In answer, a senior executive officer in the housing support services said that the “Homeless Action Team do not record the numbers of children with disabilities in homeless services” on their system – a system used by all local authorities.
The senior executive officer told Cllr Beasley that disabilities are taken into account in the overall assessments of housing needs and the action team “endeavour to provide any necessary supports and explore suitable homeless accommodation options” if a family informs them of a disability.
Ann (who asked for her real name not to be published) can’t even do that on her son’s behalf as she has been waiting for two years for her non-verbal child to be assessed.
“We’re trapped in this one room,” she told the Limerick Post. “I take him out for walks and to the park as much as I can and, since September, he’s been going to school for a few hours in the morning. As soon as he sees the hotel and realises we’re coming back, he has a complete meltdown. It breaks my heart watching him.”
The pair’s diet is severely restricted because they have no cooking facilities and have to rely on expensive fast food takeaways or unhealthy processed food that can be prepared in an air fryer.
On a very limited income, Ann often has to go without herself so her son has a meal to eat.
Ann became homeless when the private accommodation she was renting was put up for sale.
“It’s impossible to find anything to rent privately for a woman and one child. I spend my days playing with my son and trying to encourage a word out of him,” she says.
Ann was working before they became homeless but she sees no chance of that now, or of being able to access further training or education.
She feels “trapped” with no option to move on.
“I would take any accommodation to get out of here and have somewhere for him to play and for us to have some kind of normal life,” she said.
Cllr Beasley says that the lack of any recording of disability detail when people come into the system means vulnerable people are ending up in totally unsuitable accommodation.
“Ann is one example. I’m also dealing with a family with six children, two of whom are disabled. They’re being moved from one short-term Air BnB to another every few days. Schooling, support services for the disabled children, everything is affected,” she told this newspaper.
Cllr Beasley wants disabilities recorded “before people are entered into the system”.
“I’m very disappointed that this is not happening. It’s essential if the homeless system is to accommodate people according to their needs,” she said.
