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A “traumatised” Dublin family who fled drug intimidation have pleaded to be moved from their “dirty” emergency accommodation that has left the children with “rashes on their legs”.
Jessica Molloy and her three children, aged 13, 12 and seven, fled their Dublin 1 home and declared themselves homeless to Dublin City Council. After a brief stay with family which was unsustainable due to overcrowding, they were placed into emergency accommodation.
But Jessica says that the accommodation is located in the same area of Dublin that they had to flee, and is rife with anti social behaviour and drug use. She said that her children are traumatised from the ordeal.
She told Dublin Live: “I had to present myself homeless a few months ago with my three children, we had to flee our home due to safety issues and drug intimidation. My son was suffering with huge anxiety, he had PTSD and anxiety.
“We had to go stay at my mam’s house for a week or two, but it’s unsuitable, it’s overcrowded usually. We had to leave there and I presented myself to Dublin City Council, looking for a hub, a safe place, for my children.
“Knowing that we had to move from Dublin 1, it’s all on my file, they put us back down to Dublin 1 – one of the most unsafe areas, in my opinion. It doesn’t cater for a family of four.
“It’s unsafe, there’s a lot of drug use around the area. It’s just not a safe environment for kids.”
The four of them are in a small room with two bunk beds and a toilet, cabinet and television. Jessica claims that the accommodation is not clean and unsuitable for a family.
She continued: “I’ve never been in a prison cell, but it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a prison cell you’d see on telly. When you walk in the room there’s two sets of iron bunk beds, and a toilet.
“There’s a little counter, there’s a TV up on the wall that there’s no remote for, you have to rent a remote off the hostel. I haven’t had a bit of toilet roll, they just put your sheets onto your bed, they don’t even make the beds.
“I’m not looking for luxury, I know what emergency accommodation entails but it’s not even cleaned. I can’t even share a bed with my seven-year-old who is traumatised at the moment and doesn’t feel safe in a strange place as it is.
“It’s really bad. My kids are waking up with rashes on their legs. There’s mould in the bathroom. It’s just filthy dirty. There’s nothing in it.”
Jessica told Dublin Live that she has been pushing for a better home for her family and their safety. The mental health of her young children and their safety is her primary concern.
She said: “Ideally I’d like my forever home, but I know that’s not going to happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes a lot of push and fight, and I know that there’s people there that probably need to be housed before me but I worry for my children, their mental health. And I need to go into a hub for safety reasons, because of where the hotel is in an area I had to move out of for safety reasons.
“I’m not looking for luxury, I’m looking for safety and a bit of privacy for my kids. That they feel a bit safe in. There’s no stone unturned, there’s no door I haven’t knocked to, but I feel like I’m literally knocking on an empty door with the council. This is not just a homeless issue, it’s a safety issue now for my children.”
Social Democrats councillor Daniel Ennis said: “It’s one of the more severe cases in terms of threats and safety. She needs to be moved out of the area and that hasn’t been done.
“She was placed in emergency accommodation that I’m sure you’ve seen the conditions of — absolutely deplorable. Jessica is not asking to be housed straight away. Long term, absolutely, yes. But she’s just looking for a secure base in a family hub that’s outside of Dublin city centre.
“It’s probably the most dangerous place she can be. Jessica’s case has been granted priority from the council and she still hasn’t been housed. Jessica’s one of the more severe cases and she still hasn’t been housed so what hope has anyone else got? It’s not a housing crisis we have. It’s a housing disaster. Her living situation requires emergency action.”
Dublin City Council has been contacted for comment.
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