“We're going to end up being homeless” - Working family in West Mayo

A working couple with three children in Westport are facing the very real prospect of homelessness after being served a notice to quit from their rental property, despite both parents working full-time jobs.

Klaudia and Terrance Barrett, who have been renting their home in Westport for six years, are struggling to find alternative accommodation in a market where three-bedroom properties are advertised at €625 per week – far beyond their reach despite their combined income.

“There's no affordable housing for working people,” said Klaudia, who works rotating shifts including nights with her husband so that one of them can look after the children during the day. The couple's complicated work arrangements mean they rarely see each other outside of weekends, coordinating around childcare and a single shared car.

Currently paying €275 per week in rent, the family finds themselves caught in a cruel paradox: earning too much to qualify for social housing support, but not enough to save for a deposit or secure a mortgage.

“We were only like 20 or 30 euro over the threshold for rental assistance”, Klaudia explained, recalling when she previously sought help while on maternity leave. For medical cards, the situation was similarly frustrating: “It wasn't even five euro over the threshold for a medical card, so we don't have medical cards.”

Stark reality

The family's financial reality is stark. After rent, petrol costs alone consume €50 weekly for school runs and commuting. Basic necessities – school uniforms, rapidly outgrown shoes for their growing children, electricity bills, car insurance and tax – leave virtually nothing for savings.

“We have nothing to show. We have nothing actually to show. We don't have a fancy car. We have nothing fancy,” said Klaudia. Despite working full-time, the couple cannot access homeownership due to insufficient savings for a deposit.

Their situation worsened last year when Terrance broke his wrist and was unable to work. “Whatever he was getting from social welfare didn't even cover the rent,” Klaudia recalled. “We were really, really struggling. Then we had to ring somebody from St Vincent de Paul, so they kind of help us out with the vouchers for food.”

Two of their three children are covered by the GP visit card scheme, but the parents themselves avoid medical care. “I don't go. You don't go, no, like, 60 euros,” Klaudia said. 

The couple see little prospect of escape from their predicament. Childcare costs would eliminate any benefit from reduced working hours, trapping them in their current schedules. 

READ MORE: Childcare crunch for Mayo parents as lack of places forces hard decisions

Rent pressure zones

Meanwhile, they note that upcoming changes to rent pressure zones will still allow landlords to increase rents by 2 percent from March 1 and back up to full market rent if the previous tenant ends the tenancy voluntarily. 

“We know we are not the only one in the situation, because you see so many people working full time with kids or without kids,” said Klaudia. “They can't get a mortgage. They can't save enough money for the mortgage, because they have to pay the high rent.”

Looking at the lack of housing options available, the family's anxiety is palpable. With no savings for deposits and rental prices far exceeding their budget, their options are rapidly diminishing.

“As a renter, you're always on the edge,” Terrance observes.

For this hardworking family, the system appears designed to punish rather than support. “You've been punished for working because we are the ones paying taxes,” said Klaudia, summarising their frustration with a situation that offers no clear path forward.

“We don't know what's going to happen,” she said. “We're going to end up being homeless.”

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