A MUM-of-two young children has spoken about her desperate plight as she faces the prospect of being homeless this Christmas
25-year-old Joelene McMullan and her sons, aged four and five, have been sofa surfing since being evicted from their home in September.
The family have spent around five years in unsuitable accommodation, where they have experienced dampness, burglaries, and have even been threatened by loyalist paramilitaries.
Joelene took up residence in a damp-infested home in Ardoyne when her first child was born. While living in the area she said she had her house “turned upside down” by burglars and had her car tyres slashed and its windows broken.
She and her family moved out of the property in 2020 shortly after witnessing a high-profile murder.
“My son was so afraid he was jumping in his sleep and then that developed into night terrors. He was afraid to go outside and play because we witnessed it.”
After a period of sofa surfing, during which time she sought counselling for her mental health, Joelene and her sons were placed in temporary accommodation in the Shankill area.
She was later issued with threats by paramilitaries to leave the area because she is a Catholic.
“I didn’t leave because the Housing Executive couldn’t place me anywhere,” she explained.
Joelene said she eventually left the property in September after being asked to do so by the Housing Executive.
The young family have since been offered a number of alternative properties including one in Omagh and another in Lisburn, which Joelene said was covered in paramilitary flags.
She spoke of how she was also offered a damp-ridden property in Beechmount and an upstairs flat on the Ormeau area, both of which pose a risk to her youngest son, who suffers from a debilitating heart disorder known as Long QT.
Despite having 264 housing points, the Housing Executive have not been able to find the family suitable accommodation in her area of choice in West Belfast. The housing body recently issued an apology to Joelene for miscalculating her points.
Faced with the prospect of being homeless at Christmas, she said: “I haven’t settled because every day the kids are asking me is Santa is coming because we haven’t got a house.
“When I’m in my friend's house I’m on the sofa and my two kids are in a single bed. Whenever we’re in my mummy’s we’re in the one bed, so my two kids sleep at the top and I’m at the bottom. I’m in the middle of them. It’s awful.”
A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said: “This applicant has a high level of housing points and has chosen to live in areas with high housing demand and low housing turnover.
“Despite this, we hope to have a suitable housing solution for her in the near future and our team will continue to examine housing options for her in all relevant areas.”
