A desperate couple’s five children are “praying every night for a new house” after being served with an eviction notice.
Distraught mum Dorina Ros said she breaks down crying in the evenings when she puts her kids to bed and has up to two panic attacks a day over the stress of having to move out by May 1. The 33-year-old said the family’s problems are compounded because one of their kids, Emma, has quadriplegic level four cerebral palsy and epilepsy which causes regular seizures.
She has been in touch with South Dublin County Council who has offered them emergency accommodation in a bed and breakfast. But Dorina, who shares Matei, four, twins Emma and Kivah, three, Medeea, two, and one-year-old Melissa, with her husband Benjamin, stressed this wasn’t a suitable option.
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The couple, who are originally from Romania, first moved into the two-bedroom house in West Dublin five years ago when Dorina was pregnant with their first child. Speaking from her home in Lucan, Dorina told the Irish Mirror: “We have to be out by the first of May and we have nowhere to go.
“I now have panic attacks sometimes up to two a day. I also have a pain in my chest and I feel very overwhelmed. It’s very hard and extremely stressful. I don’t have words to express myself. I’m really worried about the future.
“We’re looking all the time. I’ve lost count of how many houses I’ve rang up, emailed about, or visited. The kids are even praying every night for a new house. We’re hoping for a miracle. We have taken care of this place like it’s our own. I’m stressed every day.
“My last thought at night is about the housing situation and my first thought in the morning is about the housing situation. I’m in bits and pieces.
“I have regular breakdowns which I try to hide from the kids. When the kids are in bed, I break down.”
Their landlady initially served them with an eviction notice in November 2021 because she wanted to sell the property. Dorina said she has been searching for somewhere to live but said there aren’t many suitable properties.
She revealed if she does find one which is suitable the landlords either don’t accept Housing Assistance Payment or ignore her emails. The couple’s current rent on their two-bedroom property is €1,400 and they are supported by HAP.
She admitted their property is now too small for their needs but stressed it’s better than emergency accommodation at a B&B. Dorina said Emma, who has already undergone heart and eye surgery, requires constant care and said she must attend up to three appointments a week.
She added: “We wanted to move out anyway because it’s a two-bedroom house and there are seven of us. When you factor in all of Emma’s equipment, I barely have room to cook in the kitchen.
“Her equipment is heavy and chunky but she needs them every single day to function. Life is stressful enough with toddlers but Emma’s needs take that to a whole new level. It’s so intense.”
Dorina also feels some landlords discriminate against families and said she believes they would prefer to have working professionals. She called on the Government to give families “a chance”.
Dorina added: “Life is difficult enough as it is without this added stress. We’ve been offered emergency accommodation but we can’t be there. Even imagining it in my head, I can’t see how it will work.”
When contacted South Dublin County Council said they “do not comment on individual cases”.
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