EXCLUSIVE

FEARS FOR KIDS 

Desperate mums living in filthy and ‘rat-infested’ Dublin apartments plead for alternative accommodation

• 8:00, 12 Jun 2022
• Updated: 10:57, 12 Jun 2022

DESPERATE mums ­living in ‘rat-infested’ filthy digs are pleading for alternative accommodation out of fear for their kids’ mental and physical health.

The parents said Castle Court Apartments in Dublin city centre is plagued with issues — including rats, mould, anti-social behaviour, and rubbish dumping.

Tanya Brady, 35, lives in the complex with her son Ryan, eight, who is autistic, non-verbal, suffers from severe asthma and is a flight risk.

She said the living conditions in the apartment block, which is a stone’s throw from Dublin Castle, are not safe for families and that bad ventilation is causing respiratory health issues for her son.

The mum is also petrified her son will be badly injured or killed as he constantly climbs out the window onto the roof or darts out the main door of the complex.

Another resident, Danielle Hogan, 34, who lives in the block with her two girls, Abbie 16, and Sophie, 13, told how the “cramped” and “uninhabitable” living conditions are having a big impact on her family’s mental health

She also revealed how she’s been left waiting over a year for an electrician to fix faulty electrics in her apartment.

The complex, which consists of 13 homes — seven one-bed apartments and six two-bed apartments — is run by the Peter McVerry Trust.

The apartment block, originally built in the 1990s, was bought and refurbished by The Housing Agency, and then transferred to the Peter McVerry Trust in late 2018.

Speaking to The Irish Sun, Tanya explained: “My son is autistic and severely asthmatic. I am living on the fourth floor and he keeps trying to climb out the window. He has gotten out a number of times. He has gotten out the main door a few times because it is constantly being left open by people.