'Human rights of local authority tenants and Travellers violated by inadequate housing standards'

Damp at the home of Sam Barry at Elderwood Drive, Boreenmanna Rd, Cork City. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Since Sam Barry moved into her apartment on Boreenmanna Rd in Cork City 13 years ago, damp and black mould have been persistent issues. 

Now, she says it has reached such a point that her “front door is rotting off the hinges”.

In recent years, the dampness became so bad that the plaster on the walls started to disintegrate and fall off, while in her bedroom, there is a damp patch on the ceiling and the skirting boards have rotted and warped.

The mother of two, who has several medical conditions including asthma and fibromyalgia, said the state of her home adds great stress to her life.

“I constantly have a lot of chest infections. I’m on immunosuppressants as well so they [infections] can be tough to fight, and I’m literally sitting in the bedroom that’s probably causing it, trying to recover,” she said.

I feel like I’m one bad day away from a breakdown at the moment having to deal with this.

Ms Barry was speaking following the publication of a report by the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) which found the human rights of local authority tenants and of Travellers continue to be violated by inadequate housing standards.

Ms Barry has repeatedly requested assistance from Cork City Council, and while some work has been done, damp conditions remain.

“There was a pipe that burst and after a leak came into my living room, they fixed one of the walls but they left the other wall with the damp damage, so I can’t paint over that,” she said.

“I’m unsure if the damp is going to come back there again. It just seems like they threw me a crumb."

Ms Barry also shares a bed with her six-year-old daughter, as she says “there is no room to put her in the room with her brother”, who is 12. 

How does she keep going?

"You don’t really have a choice when you’re a parent," she said. "It does get to a stage where it’s very tough but I just feel like there’s no end to this - like I’m just supposed to accept that I’m living in really substandard housing."

Asked about Ms Barry's complaints, a spokeswoman for Cork City Council said it is precluded from discussing individual cases.

"However Cork City Council Housing Directorate is taking all necessary measures in order to address any issues arising and in particular issues that are the direct responsibility of Cork City Council," she added.

The ECSR, part of the Council of Europe, said there has been progress in improving conditions of social housing including through increased retrofitting and regeneration schemes here but “substantial limitations” remain to the provision of adequate accommodation to a large number of families who continue living in substandard local authority housing.

It found that a significant number of local authority tenants reside in "poor housing conditions amounting to housing that is inadequate in nature". It also cited persistent conditions such as sewage invasions, contaminated water, dampness and mould.

The report also found that there is no national timetable for the refurbishment of local authority housing stock and the Government has "not fulfilled its obligation in ensuring community safety for local authority housing tenants".

On the provision of Traveller accommodation, the committee says while there has been progress in this regard, “there is still a substantial shortfall”.

It cites evidence from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission that a number of sites are in “poor condition, lack maintenance and are badly located”.