Sinn Féin Councillor Catherine Burke highlighted the reality of children living in emergency accommodation in Waterford during the Plenary meeting for April.
“While emergency accommodation provides a roof over people’s heads, we must be honest about the reality of what it means for a child growing up in these conditions,” said Cllr. Burke.
“Many families are living in a single room, with no space to play, no privacy and no sense of normal routine. Children are trying to do homework on beds, sharing tight spaces with siblings, and growing up without the stability that every child deserves.
“This has real and lasting effects. It impacts their education, their emotional wellbeing, their confidence and their ability to simply be children.
“Something as simple as having a friend over to play, celebrating a birthday, or having a quiet place to sleep and study—these are not luxuries, they are part of a healthy childhood.
“We have to ask ourselves: are we doing enough to protect that?”
“I am asking that this council does everything within its power to support families who are homeless or living in emergency accommodation, to ensure they can live with dignity, and that their children have the chance of a healthy childhood,” Cllr. Burke added.
While thanking the Housing Department for engaging with her on representations, Cllr Burke pointed to immediate changes that could improve the quality of life of children living in emergency accommodation.
“Allowing families in emergency accommodation to stay overnight with relatives or friends and to have visitors to their accommodation, these small but meaningful changes would help restore a sense of normality, connection and support for families who are already under immense pressure,” she said.
“No child should grow up feeling excluded, isolated, or different because of their housing situation. We have a responsibility to do better, and to act with urgency and compassion.”
Director of Services for Housing, Seamus de Faoite acknowledged these comments, saying “one family in homeless accommodation is one too many”.
“At the moment, just to give perspective, there are 24 families in homeless accommodation. That is down from 33 at the same time last year. So there is progress being made,” he said.
Sands Hotel ‘disgraceful’
These comments prompted discussion of the Emergency Accommodation situation in the county later in the meeting, as Fianna Fáil Councillor Jason Murphy said homeless men had adequate accommodation in the City while women and young families remained in the Sands Hotel in Tramore.
“Young families, young women are provided their homeless services in the Sands Hotel in Tramore, which is totally unfit for purpose. I think every Councillor in this room has either been in that hotel or seen images of that hotel. The conditions that they live in are disgraceful,” Cllr. Murphy said.
Cllr Murphy was of the belief that the Council were due to remove homeless services from the Sands Hotel and return to the City.
This latter point was confirmed by Director de Faoite, who said the contract had expired and the Council were committed to moving services back into the City—although he caveated this point by saying the Council would only do so once the appropriate services were in place for all involved.
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
