Margaret Cash forced to leave emergency accommodation

A homeless woman who slept in a Garda station overnight alongside six of her seven children earlier this month said she is “heartbroken” that she will have to leave emergency accommodation she was placed in.

Margaret Cash (28) came to prominence after she circulated pictures of her children - aged between one and 11 years - sleeping on seats in Tallaght Garda station on social media.

Ms Cash, originally from Tallaght, was placed in a three-bedroom apartment on Parnell Street with her children last Friday by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and was told it would be for a week’s trial, followed by a month-on-month basis.

“I’ve to be out of here on Friday and they’re moving me somewhere over around the Drumcondra area,” she told The Irish Times on Wednesday.

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“They didn’t tell me for how long, I could be there for a week, for days, I don’t know. I think it is an apartment, I’m not sure, I haven’t seen it yet.”

Ms Cash said the landlord of the property told her the apartment was let out to students from September 2nd for nine months.

“He [THE LANDLORD/]said he told the council this from the start,” Ms Cash said. “I rang the council, I think there must have been a misunderstanding.”

Dublin Region Homeless Executive said it had “no idea” the apartment was already booked from September.

“We took the apartment in absolute good faith, we were told it was available,” a spokeswoman said.

“We would never do that, especially in the circumstances. It’s really unfortunate and awful that they have to move but we took it in good faith. We had no idea this was going to happen. We have sourced her somewhere.”

Settling in

The DRHE said emergency accommodation will be provided from Friday “on a temporary basis and will be ongoing”.

Ms Cash said she has not told her children they’ll have to move out of the property on Friday and is unsure where they will be going to school next month.

“I’m going to wait until tomorrow to tell them. I’m dreading telling them because they had just started to settle in and had gotten posters for their walls,” she said.

“I was thinking of putting them in schools around Parnell Street but now what’s the point in putting them in schools in Drumcondra when I don’t know how long I’ll be there for? I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”

Ms Cash became homeless last September after the private house she was renting was repossessed. She has been living in emergency accommodation ever since.