NEW HOME NEW HOPE: Spencer Wheeler, one of the new tenants who moved into the Peter McVerry Trust’s housing units in Killarney. Photo: Graham Seely/Peter McVerry Trust

“We were in a constant limbo land of uncertainty”

By Michelle Crean

One father and his young daughter are now feeling safer and more secure after receiving one of 15 housing units from the Peter McVerry Trust in Killarney town.

Spencer Wheeler says that he and his daughter “were in a constant limbo land of uncertainty” but now have “a safe” space to call their own.
The charity, which is working in partnership with Kerry County Council, said it is working to increase housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness in the county.

The national housing and homeless charity has delivered 15 social housing units in Killarney housing over 30 people.

"We are delighted to be able to help meet the housing needs of people impacted by homelessness in Kerry," Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said.

"We have been working closely with the Council to understand the need that exists locally and how best we can be of support to people in the county. We are now working on developing housing pathways to ensure people can exit hostels and B&Bs and get the wraparound supports they need once housed. All our tenants will receive ongoing support from our dedicated Housing With Supports team who are available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

On Friday last, official figures released by the Department of Housing showed a decrease of 13 percent in the number of people accessing emergency accommodation in Kerry to 113 people.

“The challenge is to grow the number of homes we can provide and in particular the number of one-bedroom homes, as they are the type most needed, yet are the hardest to come by. We are looking at any possible opportunities, including long-term vacant buildings, commercial properties that can be converted to residential, or vacant sites with planning permission. We’d encourage anyone that has a property, which would be suitable for social housing in Killarney or Tralee, to contact us so that we can secure more housing options to help tackle homelessness in Kerry.”

SECURITY

Spencer added that before living in his new two-bedroom apartment he was in a homeless hostel with his daughter in Tralee for approximately a year and a half.

“We were in a constant limbo land of uncertainty. It all happened really quickly, we received a letter from the Council saying we had been referred to the Peter McVerry Trust. I had never even heard of it beforehand.

“Being in a hostel, it was very hard for me to go out and actually look for work, so now we have a safe area, I can actually get out there and start to get a bit more work. The fact that we have somewhere which is ours where we can close the door, and she can do whatever she wants and relax, without having to worry about other people coming into the kitchen and things like that, is really nice for her. She has her own room here as well, which she is starting to mess up!”