Christmas comes early for Meelick man

A 44-year-old Meelick man with disabilities looks set to receive an early Christmas present in the form of social housing, having endured appalling conditions in a mobile home over the last four years.

Mary Moloney has condemned the “scandalous” situation that has forced her brother, Tony, to live in a mobile home after their mother’s dwelling in Woodcock Hill, Meelick, burnt down on July 14, 2008.

She said her brother, who has a hearing and speech problem, is living in terrible conditions, despite the fact there is a vacant house in the village, which she claimed could be let to him if Clare County Council had more finance for housing maintenance and repairs.

It now looks as if Mr Moloney could be in a position to move into a vacant house in the South-East Clare village before the end of the month after his desperate plight was highlighted by The Clare Champion at the request of local County Councillor, Cathal Crowe.

Councillor Crowe has confirmed money has now been allocated to repair two vacant houses, which were left lying idle since last January due to the lack of finance provided to Clare County Council for social housing maintenance.

In a recent letter to Minister Hogan, Councillor Crowe requested the minister to allocate additional funds to Clare County Council to reduce the 57 vacant housing units in the county, including Number 30 in Kilavoher.

Councillor Crowe claimed current funding only allowed the council to refurbish or reallocate a quarter of these vacant houses. He stated that if the council had the necessary €3,000 to carry out minor refurbishment works to the house in Kilavoher, it could be reallocated to Mr Moloney.

“If Clare County Council had been in a position to refurbish this house and allocate it to a new tenant six or seven months ago, the authority would have, by now, recouped the refurbishment costs from rents,” he claimed.

Councillor Crowe pointed out Mr Moloney was living in a mobile home, which was no longer fit for purpose, particularly during the winter when it was very dark and cold.

Mr Moloney also received another timely boost recently after he was taken on in the Tús scheme to work as a caretaker looking after Meelick GAA Clubhouse. His tasks include maintaining the clubhouse, pitch, grounds and security at night.

He previously worked as a chef in The Two Mile Hotel until it closed down and hasn’t been able to secure other catering employment.

Once Mr Moloney moves into his new house, he will only be a stone’s throw away from his work.

Stressing Mr Moloney was very diligent and conscientious about his work, Councillor Crowe said his only regret was the fact that Mr Moloney wasn’t housed 11 months ago.

The Department of Environment previously deflected criticism and emphasised to The Clare Champion that it is up to Clare County Council to prioritise where its allocation of €5.3 million for its Social Housing Investment Programme is spent.