Homeless family living in a Drogheda car park 'passed from pillar-to-post'

A homeless family that has been living in a Drogheda car park has been "passed from pillar-to-post" in search of emergency accommodation according to a Louth councillor.

Independent councillor Declan Power told the March meeting of Louth County Council that the family, who are originally from Latvia, had been sleeping in their car for over a month. 

He said the family had chosen a car park "under the umbrella" of Louth County Council "simply because they could access a public toilet". 

Cllr Power said the family, which includes two children, aged two and four, had been living in Lusk in North County Dublin for nine months however, were asked to leave on short notice. 

"The father works in Drogheda. These are people who are contributing to our community. They’re trying to do everything right and yet they fell through every crack in the system." 

"The family spent their nights driving around to keep warm. When they tried to sleep, the father slept upright behind the steering wheel before working an eight hour shift. His wife and two toddlers waited in a cold car until he finished," he said.

Cllr Power said the family had gone unnoticed for over a month until a member of the public approached the family and offered the family shelter in their home for three nights. 

"One individual showing more compassion and kindness than any agency involved so far," he said. 

The Independent councillor said the family had applied for social housing with Louth County Council but as they last lived in Dublin, Fingal County Council was responsible for emergency accommodation. 

Cllr Power said he understands the system but doesn't agree with it, and called it the "perfect example of bureaucracy versus common sense". 

However, as the family did not have rental receipts from their time in Lusk, they were told they had to present in Galway, where they had lived years before.

He said Fingal County Council had "simply kicked the can down the road to Louth". 

"Since when have we allowed homelessness decisions to become postcode-dependent, and since when did we ignore a family sleeping in a car because a map says they belong to a different county."

"This is happening on our doorstep and every agency involved has passed them from pillar-to-post unwilling to take responsibility," Cllr Power said. 

A GoFundMe page was set up following a viral video explaining the family's situation and has provided funding for short-term accommodation in Clogherhead, Drogheda. 

However, Cllr Power called this a "temporary reprieve" and called on Louth Council to "do the honourable thing and put a roof over their head". 

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Director of Housing with Louth County Council, Ger Murphy, said he was "very sorry to hear a case like that has come up". 

"Everything we do as a local authority is to try and work against a situation like that occurring. 

We have protocols and procedure to try and ensure that sort of situation doesn’t happen," he said. 

Mr Murphy said he would engage privately with Cllr Power regarding the family's case.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.