'I was lying on cardboard trying to keep warm': New social apartments changing lives in Limerick

David Raleigh

Elaine Cook said she hit “rock bottom” when her landlord sold her home and she ended up living in a tent.

Limerick women’s refuge, Thomond House, run by approved housing body, Associated Charities Trust (ACT), stepped in and initially provided Cook with temporary accommodation.

On Thursday, ACT officially handed over the keys of new single bed apartments to Cook and 17 other people who were experiencing homelessness in Limerick.

The mixed-tenancy “Mirth” development, which provides long-term independent living to persons with low incomes, was constructed at a cost of €5 million, including €4.5 million from the State directly, plus a €400,000 donation from the JP McManus Charitable Trust.

“When they told me I had got the apartment I broke down in tears, but all I can say is, if you hang tough, good things do happen,” Cook said.

“Living in a tent was absolutely horrendous. I was lying on cardboard in my tent trying to keep myself warm, it was horrendous, trying to be clean,” she said.

Cook argued that “nobody should be homeless in this day and age”, and said that, in her opinion, people who are used to living in secure accommodation, particularly public servants/politicians tasked with tackling the housing crisis “have no understanding” of the reality of homelessness.

“Until you've actually gone through it, you don't understand what it's like,” she continued, and she called for more social housing schemes to reduce homelessness.

Thanking ACT and staff at Thomond House for helping her through homelessness, Cook said that now she has a secure roof over her head, “everyday is a good day”.

Fellow resident, “Ger”, (70s), who experienced a relationship break-up and struggled to find adequate accommodation as “a single older man”, praised the scheme: “The apartment here is luxurious compared to what I’ve been used to, and because I’ve had mental health issues over the course of my life, having this place is a great relief to me. I know now that this is here until they carry me out in a coffin.”

Erin O’Shaughnessy (24) and Teresa Nolan (59) are both residing in temporary accommodation at Thomond House refuge located across the street from Mirth, but they both remain locked out of long-term housing.

Photo: David Raleigh

Last December, O’Shaughnessy suffered a cardiac arrest while sleeping rough during a storm.

The skilled artist said that living without long-term accommodation is “scary” but, she said, overcoming her personal struggles has placed her in a better position to find a forever home.

Her message to the Department of Housing is to “prioritise funding” in order to build more affordable homes and ease pressure on the “housing crisis”.

“There's really sad cases out there, and it breaks your heart to see it, but that's our reality,” added O’Shaughnessy.

Life on the margins has left Teresa Nolan, (59), Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, struggling to hold to her dream of having her own home.

“I want to move on from Thomond House and get my own little place, something that would suit me, because I've got a walking aid. The refuge is a stepping stone to somewhere else,” said Nola who has resided at the refuge for a year and half waiting for adequate housing.

The apartment block is already at capacity with 11 female residents and seven men.

All residents must meet strict criteria including that they be 50+years, that they be “registered” on the local authority housing list, that they pass an “assessment” for living independently, and that they “must be linked to a category of homelessness”.