Final year SETU student faces eviction from Waterford... to Donegal

A SETU student living in the Birchwood House International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre in Waterford City has been told she is going to be evicted from Waterford and moved to Donegal.

Jane Ibe is a final year student at SETU, studying Applied Healthcare, and is hoping to become an essential healthcare worker when she finishes her course in just seven months. She also works part-time and is a student ambassador at SETU.

The Birchwood House Direct Provision Centre where she resides sent her an eviction letter only a few days ago.

Jane was told that she would be sent in a taxi to Donegal, forcing her to end her studies, quit her job, and leave the community.

Speaking to the Waterford News & Star, Jane said: “I enjoy living in Waterford, and I’ve got a community in Waterford, from college and from work.

“To move to Donegal means I won’t be able to complete my studies. I don’t know what life will be like in Donegal and I don’t know why they have to take me there. When you have a plan, this sets you back to start from scratch."

A demonstration was held outside the centre this week, orchestrated by local Community Action Tenants Union (CATU) representatives, Birchwood residents and members of the community.

CATU members held talks with IPAS representatives on the day and successfully paused the eviction until Monday, October 21.

CATU say they will continue to fight to ensure that Jane can stay in Birchwood House for another seven months, to give her time to find new accommodation and to finish her studies.

Killian Mangan, CATU Waterford Communications Officer, explained the situation, saying: “She’s going to be shipped off to Donegal in a taxi. She was told it would arrive to bring her directly to Donegal, which is obviously a crazy waste of money.

“She will then have to avail of homeless accommodation. She’ll be officially homeless in a place she’s never been before with no support, no job, no community and having to quit her course.

“At CATU we’re calling for them to pause the eviction for up to seven months, so she can finish her course and give her time to find accommodation. The alternative is she’s ripped away from the community she’s made her home, her job and her course.” 

‘It’s going to destroy her’

A resident of the centre, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “I’m here to support Jane because I can’t imagine what it would be like to leave college and to leave the place you call home. It’s going to destroy her if she has to leave to Donegal. She is devastated."

The resident added: “It’s not because we don’t want to leave, it’s because we can’t find alternative accommodation. It’s not an easy life here and it’s not something we want, but this is all we’ve got. Being in this situation is difficult enough, so hopefully they don’t make it any more difficult for her.” 

“She’s a hard worker and I believe she’s a great addition to this country because she can go to school and work consistently. There's a lot that’s going to be taken away from her if she gets evicted. Her life has always been here. She has settled here and it's her home."

‘Divide and conquer’                                                                                                                                                       

The eviction of residents has been an ongoing trend at IPAS centres across the country in recent months.

Following demonstrations, a number of such evictions have been successfully halted in Waterford City at Birchwood and at Ocean View House in Tramore.

CATU now say that IPAS has begun to use a "divide and conquer" approach by sending individual eviction dates to various Direct Provision residents around the country.

Mr Mangan said: “Previously there was a big focus on families being evicted, but now they’ve started trying to evict people individually on a one-by-one basis in the hope that there’s not enough support when someone is evicted individually.

“Whether it’s one or 10 people being evicted into homelessness, that’s one or 10 people too many.

In August, 10 families living in the Birchwood Direct Provision Centre in Ballytruckle faced eviction.

Many of these families were told they would be moved to Clonmel or Monaghan in order to move new international protection families into the Birchwood centre.

Multiple residents living at Birchwood said this week that they are "living in fear" as a result of the surge of eviction notices being distributed.