Young mother’s frustration at boarded-up Athlone homes

By Navjyoti Dalal

An Athlone woman has voiced her frustration at having to live with her kids in her parents' house while many properties in Athlone are boarded-up.

Baylough resident Katie Touhey has been on the housing waiting list locally for two years.

She told the Westmeath Independent: “We are six people living in a three-bedroom house. My sister Kira has extreme autism. It is so hard on her. She gets overwhelmed with kids’ noises.”

Ms Touhey added that the arrangement is not easy on her parents either. “They're limited to their room most of the time,” she said.

A young mother, 23-year-old Katie has two children, aged one and two. The toddlers have no space for play. “They play in the kitchen and bedroom,” said Katie, whose room is overcrowded with toys and clothes.

Having begun the application process three years ago, Katie has spent the last two years on the waiting list.

"I emailed the council as recently as last week, they responded with the same response that they've given me for the last two years - keep trying for HAP," Katie said.

She added: “I would love a home of my own, one where the kids can have some space to play, to grow."

Katie appeared on a recent Prime Time investigative report on RTÉ, titled Left to Rot, which brought the spotlight on Ireland's derelict properties.

Presented by Conn Corrigan, it showcased a pan-Ireland picture including four boarded-up houses in Athlone's Sarsfield Square.

“People could be living in those houses,” Katie said. “They could be in use,” she told RTÉ.

The homes are owned and managed by Respond housing agency, whose management of the houses has drawn ire from local politicians in recent times..

At the March meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District of Westmeath County Council, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke accused the agency of negligence over its handling of the houses. Respond cited the high cost of renovation and a lack of funding for the houses' vacant status.

“The level of investment to fully renovate these homes is significant. There's no viable funding mechanisms accessible to it. We're formally engaged with the Westmeath County Council,” the housing agency was quoted as saying.

The county council responded to RTÉ: "We're in the process of assessing this property under the Derelict Sites legislation.”