A PROTEST has taken place outside the former home of a West Belfast family who were evicted from it three days ago.
Caitriona McCrudden lost her mother in September 2022 and had applied to take over tenancy of their Clovelly Street bungalow, off the Springfield Road.
Under Housing Executive guidelines, a husband, wife or civil partner – or a partner or family member who has lived in the property for over 12 months – may take over a person’s tenancy when they pass away.
As her mum's sole carer, Caitriona says she submitted evidence of filling the criteria but to no avail and a court order was issued to evict the mother, her daughter Lisa and three-year old grandson.
On Tuesday, the family were evicted by Housing Executive officials supported by the PSNI and have been living with family members since.
On Friday morning a community protest organised by CATU (Community Action Tenants' Union) took place outside the Clovelly Street house.
Speaking at the protest, Lisa McCrudden said: "On Tuesday, my family was forcibly evicted by the Housing Executive with the assistance of armed PSNI officers.
"Imagine the feeling of being forced by masked court officers, armed police and masked removal contractors to remove 20 years of your memories and possessions.
"This has been the culmination of a long and traumatic three-year battle with the Housing Executive. This was my granny's house, who passed away in 2022.
"Throughout this process we have been transparent and provided each and every piece of evidence required and asked of us.
Lisa McCrudden
"My mum lived here for the past 17 years. This is the house I was raised in and my own son. My mum should have had the right to succeed this house as a statutory succession.
"This process has almost broken us as a family. Our mental and physical health has plummeted. There are days I don't know if we can continue to fight but it is through the strength of my friends, neighbours and community in CATU that keeps us going.
"For the last year, our ask of the Housing Executive wasn't even to grant us our family home. It was simply to provide our family with safe and suitable accommodation so we would not be made homeless. They failed to do this.
"We understand we are not the only family going through this process. There have been others before us and there will be others after us."
Lisa concluded by calling for an end to police presence at evictions; an eviction ban across the social housing sector; and for the housing authorities to develop sustainable housing on the former Mackies' site.
Hannah Gibson from CATU told the Andersonstown News: "CATU believes no one should be removed from their home and certainly not by the social housing body.
"This is a system that protects landlords, swallows up social housing, prioritises private profits and makes people homeless.
"There are 50,000 families on the housing waiting list, the majority are women and children. Here is another family who have been made homeless at the hands of the very body responsible for housing.
"We demand that this family are offered safe, secure and permanent social housing."
