A WEST Belfast family have been left devastated after being evicted from their home this morning after failing to meet the criteria of the Housing Executive's succession tenancy policy.
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 two-year old grandson.
On Tuesday morning, Housing Executive officials and the PSNI arrived to evict the McCrudden family.
The PSNI cordoned off the street and a removal van was in place whilst the family gathered their belongings together.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Caitriona's daughter Lisa said: "I was pregnant when this whole thing started. My son is now two-and-a-half-years-old.
"We are getting evicted and we have nowhere to go. We have been told to remove all our belongings out of the house.
"This is our home. This is our street. We have never put a foot wrong in life and this is the way we are being treated.
"My mum is in a terrible state. This whole thing has affected her physical and mental health so much.
"I don't know what we are going to do now. Where are we supposed to stay tonight?"
A Housing Executive spokesperson said evictions from their properties are "rare and are always a last resort". "However, we have a clear duty to protect and properly manage our social housing stock for those who are entitled to it.
“In September 2024, the County Court granted us an order for possession, having found no evidence that the occupant had a legal right to remain in this property.
“It is bungalow accommodation, which we prioritise to allocate to older people or those with additional needs who have been assessed and approved through the social housing system.
“In order to allow the occupant the opportunity to make alternative accommodation arrangements or to engage with us to discuss housing options we agreed to a ten‑week stay on enforcement. That agreement expired on 26 November 2024.
“Despite extensive engagement, the occupant has continually failed to comply with the court order, has not presented for a housing assessment, nor made other living arrangements, in that period of time.
“Throughout this process, we have consistently engaged with the occupant and with legal, political and other representatives to fully explain the facts and legal position of the case.
“Despite this, the occupant continued to reside in the property in direct contravention of a court order requiring its return to the Housing Executive.
“Once the property is returned to us, it will be allocated to one of the many applicants on the social housing waiting list who wish to live in this area.”
