A young mother says that a lack of affordable housing to rent has left her and her two small children living in homeless accommodation. Davina Wrafter, 28, told Gript how she rented various properties in and around Waterford until her landlord needed to sell her apartment.
Having taken time off work since having her youngest child, who is one, she is currently on a housing list. As well as qualifying for social housing, she also meets the threshold for the housing assistance payment (HAP) — which is accessed through a social housing list. However, Davina says that even with the HAP payment, runaway rents in her locality mean that she cannot find a property to rent within her budget.
Davina and her two daughters aged one and seven have been in homeless accommodation for the last six months, having recently been told by the Council that they could be facing a move to a hotel room soon. Davina recently posted a video to her social media accounts appealing for landlords who accept the HAP payment to reach out. She says she believes that the Government is falling short when it comes to delivering solutions for Irish people who have been forced into homelessness.
“We feel like the Government has abandoned us,” she said.
“I was living in an apartment near Waterford and in a relationship,” Davina explained. “But that relationship broke down and the landlord decided to sell the apartment we were living in, and that’s left me in the position I’m in now. Myself and my two girls have been where we are now for six months. I’ve been onto the council and loads of different housing organisations trying to get somewhere because we are currently sharing one room – myself, my seven-year-old daughter who is autistic, and my baby who will be two in July.”
She says that the situation has been exacerbated due to her eldest daughter’s additional needs.
“In the last number of days, I’ve been told by the council that I could be getting moved to a hotel soon, which is basically ten times worse than the position I’m in now. We’d still be in the one room, and obviously, for my little girl who has additional needs, it’s not suitable at all.
“My eldest is very aware of everything going on. She asks me every day if she can go home. She’s not getting used to being here at all even though it’s been six months. She still wants to go home to a proper home.”
“Thankfully my little girl has been able to stay in the same school. We’re very lucky in that sense and because she is autistic, she is entitled to bus transfers. In that sense we’re fine, but the situation is definitely taking a toll on her mental health. I actually think she could be suffering more than me because she always asks to go home. When she was born, she had her own bedroom and she’s always had that.
“She’s been used to having her own space and she needs that because of her autism. For example, she has big sensory issues and it’s a tough thing to have all of us sleeping in the same room. If I didn’t have two children, I wouldn’t be sharing my story most likely but I feel I have to speak out if I want to get anything for my kids. I do think a lot of Irish people should follow that, and we should come together and share our stories because this is the reality.
Davina says that staff in the homeless hub have been “absolutely brilliant” and a great support system to her, but she is worried about her family’s long-term future.
“In our room, we have a bunk bed, a double bed and a cot so there’s only a tiny amount of room. I do have an air fryer in the room but I can’t make my kids proper dinners. If I want to make them a proper dinner, I have to go down and use the communal kitchen, but I can’t do that because it’s too dangerous for the kids to be down there. I can’t leave them in the bedroom on their own, either. It’s hard not being able to make a proper dinner for them and to give them what they should be eating.
“It’s also stressful because when they want to play, they can’t because the room is so tight. We’re all on top of each other. Friendships and relationships suffer also. My daughter can’t bring any of her friends here to play, for example, and we can’t have any visitors. There’s no space or privacy. There’s an impact on your personal life and your mental health.”
“I really don’t want to be moved to a hotel and I just feel like we are going around in circles – from one room to the offer of another room. That’s not real housing. If I’m in a hotel, I wouldn’t have the support of the staff here which would make things even harder,” she added.
In Waterford city, where Davina is based, rents have increased by 70 per cent since Covid. Waterford saw one of the steepest increases in rent, according to the Daft.ie report for the fourth quarter of 2024. The report showed an increase of 6 per cent nationally, with tenants paying €1,596 on average. The most expensive place to rent in the South East of the country, according to the report, is Waterford city, costing just over €1,600 per month.
Darina says it is not possible for her to afford the prices being asked at present, while she has little hope of being offered anything by her local Council.
“I’m on a housing list and I’ve also been accepted for the housing assistance payment scheme (HAP). But the prices of places in Waterford are almost as bad as Dublin at the moment – I literally cannot find anywhere that has two bedrooms or more for anything less than €1400 a month, which I think is unbelievable considering that nine years ago, I used to rent a two bedroom house for €500 a month. Even with the HAP scheme, as a single mother with two kids, that cannot work. There’s just no way I can afford it,” she said.
“My last apartment was €950 a month, and I can’t find anything in that sort of price range. In the space of two to three years, the cost of renting anywhere has jumped up by €500 to €600. I was working full time then and things were easier. I am a full time mum to my children at the minute.”
“Things don’t make sense to me because when you apply for a mortgage, it’s a case of the bank telling you that you can’t afford it, yet you’re expected to pay these exorbitant rents.”
Darina says that a huge amount of focus has been placed on providing accommodation for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees – but she insists Government policy has failed its own citizens. Back in 2017, the State promised to prevent the use of any emergency accommodation by 2018, except in very exceptional cases.
However, the number of people in emergency accommodation has continued to rise. In March, emergency housing figures hit a record high – with more than 14,000 people in emergency accommodation, including over 4,000 children. That represents a rise of 14 per cent over the past year, with 10,000 people in emergency accommodation in Dublin alone..
“To put it bluntly, I think that those running the country at the moment are a joke,” Darina told Gript. “They say things like they’re going to tackle homelessness and that they hear our concerns. There are loads of promises but it feels as though they are handing out homes and resources to people coming here from other countries. Yet, us Irish can get absolutely nothing. That’s what it feels like. We’re just left to suffer. Immigration has had an effect on housing supply. That’s how I feel.
“So many Irish people are struggling to make ends meet. The number in homeless hubs have spiked, and yet we have the Government saying it has an obligation to house the rest of the world and hand out benefits to the increased numbers of people coming here. It’s not sustainable, and I really think there should be a pause on numbers coming in so that the Government can try to house its own citizens. Then they can think of bringing people over. I know that if I were to go to another country expecting hand-outs, I would be told to go home. It doesn’t make sense.”
While the Department of Housing has said that there are just under 60,000 people on housing waiting lists nationally, Freedom of Information requests by Aontú indicate that the figure could be far higher, and closer to 97,683. In January, controversy depended when CSO figures confirmed the previous administration failed to meet its promised 40,000 housing targets by around 10,000.
For Darina, she is holding out hope that the future will be brighter, but that hope is fading with each day she spends in emergency accommodation.
“I feel the council doesn’t care,” Darina says. “A hotel room is the best they can offer me which is frustrating. When I put up the social media video discussing this, a lot of people from my area reached out and tagged local TDs. So far, no one has reached out. There was, however, one letting agency in Waterford who reached out to me who has been very helpful. But the issue is the prices for renting. I’ve been to viewings but the prices are so high that I can’t afford anything on social welfare, even with HAP. Everything costs more than what I get a month, and that’s the issue.”