Basic living becoming a hardship

Back in her native Coolock she is the single mother of a 14-year-old teenage girl and a fully qualified beauty therapist looking for a job.

“People try to stereotype single parents but I am seeking work as well and the barrier I find placed in front of me is the rent allowance,” she says.

“If I start working the rent allowance reduces by an awful lot.”

Her lone parent payment has been reduced, as has child benefit, and she admits disposable income is becoming harder to hold on to. She estimates already she is almost €6 worse off per week.

“My daughter has already moved with me once, she’s settled in nicely in school and we’re nicely situated for her friends so I don’t know what I’m going to do – it is a big worry.

She is also waiting to get on the RAS (rental assistance scheme) but cannot claim it until she has been back resident here for 18 months. Once on the RAS she can work 20 hours a week without, she says, being worse off.

Her neighbours are “even worse off than me”.

* JOAN has eight children, seven in care and in her estimation has about €15 a week in disposable income.

She lives with her baby daughter in central Dublin and is living on €230.30 a week.

Her bills include creche care of €75 a week, of which she pays €40, rent of €50 a week, electricity of €50 and medical bills to treat her epilepsy.

After buying food and arrears she says, “I just find it very hard to manage”.

“I’m going into Penneys to get clothes for €1 or €2 for my child.”

Her other children were placed in voluntary care because she says she was struggling to provide for them.

She is currently waiting to start a CE scheme but the only other help around the house is from her 17-year-old daughter who visit her at weekends.