Medically vulnerable man stuck in homelessness loop after ‘failing to settle’

A medically vulnerable man facing severe sight loss was left homeless after leaving "almost unliveable" local authority flats that Dublin City Council claimed he “didn’t settle” in

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 12:38, 06 Aug 2026 View Image Robert Kevin Liffey

A medically vulnerable man was left homeless after leaving damp, mould-ridden local authority flats that Dublin City Council claimed he “didn’t settle” in.

Robert Kevin Liffey spoke to Dublin Live about his difficult history within a social housing system he feels has failed to appropriately address his needs. Facing sight loss, skin problems, respiratory issues and a weakened immune system, Mr Liffey is now living in homeless accommodation where he says cigarette and cannabis smoke permeate the building further aggravating his complex medical conditions.

Originally from Offaly, Mr Liffey has been in Dublin since 1994 and previously worked as a bookmaker but by 2011 his sight loss meant this was no longer possible. The problems he faced as a council tenant were previously reported by The Irish Times , where in 2023, Mr Liffey outlined living in a Ballsbridge flat where the temperature in his home topped 35 degrees.

He explained that the floor-to-ceiling windows meant the building was like a greenhouse as black mould rapidly spread around the bathroom, kitchen and ceiling. “The mould became so endemic it actually ate through the plastic shower base of the shower,” Mr Liffey said, stating that for the final months of his tenancy he opted to shower at a swimming pool in Monkstown.

“It was all over the ceilings, all over the walls, and in the bathroom the entire floor was pitch black, as in the colour of coal. If I showered it would make the mould even ten times worse. The mould had actually eaten right through the PVC plastic.”

Correspondence from a chartered engineer who inspected the building corroborates Mr Liffey’s claims, stating “there is excessive mould growth in the bathroom and in the bathroom and living areas over the windows where there is floor to ceiling glazing”.

“The presence of this extreme mould growth makes the current property almost unliveable for Mr Liffey given his conditions. It would be advisable to relocate Mr Liffey from this property until it can be satisfactorily addressed with proper ventilation both to remove the moisture along with the heat build up due to the solar gain from the floor to ceiling windows and no permanent ventilation,” the engineer’s message to DCC Chief Executive Richard Shakespeare said.

In the end, Mr Liffey felt his flat was so unliveable that he voluntarily surrendered it, a decision which removed him from the housing waiting list and saw him both sleeping rough and becoming reliant on homelessness services.

Mr Liffey previously lived in a council home on Kimmage Road but claims this too suffered from severe damp and electrical problems that made him fear for his safety. He outlined electrical wires routed behind plastic wall coverings that caused an audible crackling sound creating a fire hazard.

He described a building that sloped downward, meaning rainfall would enter his ground floor apartment where consistent damp had discoloured the floor. “I was afraid to buy furniture,” he said, stating that moisture and dry rot made his conditions unliveable.

According to Mr Liffey, Senior housing officials classified his exits not as responses to hazardous living conditions, but as a failure to "settle" in two tenancies . Under council guidelines, voluntarily surrendering the properties stripped him of his social housing tenant status, deleted him from the housing list, and left him reliant on emergency long-term accommodation.

Now in a Ranelagh homeless hostel run by the Simon Community, Mr Liffey feels trapped once again in a medical catch-22. He says he is currently resident at the end of an unventilated corridor where cigarette and cannabis smoke permeates throughout the building.

“I can smell it coming underneath the door. I can also see it, it's a visible haze,” he said.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson from Dublin Simon Community confirmed that smoking is "permitted in bedrooms at our long-term accommodation facilities". However, they said "people are not allowed to smoke in the general communal areas" and that smoke detectors are in place in all rooms and communal areas, with fire safety checks carried out regularly.

They added "we are investigating claims that smoke is seeping into other residents' bedrooms" and said they are "happy to engage directly with any resident who has concerns about health and safety".

Being born with albinism, Mr Liffey says he’s aware that he’s more vulnerable than a healthy person as air pollution and a photosensitivity to light take a heavy toll on him, meaning he is not as easily housed. He states his left eye is now “extremely close to total and absolute blindness” and that when he returns to his emergency accommodation he coughs the whole night through due to the smoke.

“I'll just start to cough, and I won't stop coughing until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. And when I say cough, I mean continuously,” he said.

Ultimately, Mr Liffey’s needs are vast and complex and don’t align with the bureaucratic barriers he has faced. Medical letters were not sufficient to secure him the transfers he was hoping for and now he finds his needs medical unmet within emergency accommodation services.

Until he is provided with appropriate, permanent housing, Mr Liffey feels trapped in a system where living in a homeless hostel stifles his ability to address his medical needs. Having escaped the effects of damp and mould, the smoke issue means he does not know where else to turn to have a room over his head while protecting his health.

“I'm aware that I'm more vulnerable than a healthy person,” Mr Liffey said. “However, that vulnerability doesn't excuse the living conditions I’ve been in. It's trying to get my story told before it's too late, really.”

When contacted, Dublin City Council said they do not comment on publicly on individual cases. They said that housing maintenance requests are carried out "in accordance with our responsibility and timelines as set out in Dublin City Council Tenant Handbook". They said that "satisfactory resolution of maintenance issues in individual cases requires full engagement and co-operation of the tenant".

"With regards homeless services a number of support services are available to assist people in maintaining and sustaining their tenancies. These include Visiting Tenancy Sustainment Support (VTSS), Supports to Living Independently (SLI), and the Housing First programme," they added.

"Dublin City Council's Social Work Team is also available to support tenants who wish to engage with the service. Individuals are encouraged to liaise with their Housing Advisor or Housing Support Officer for information, guidance, and advice on housing options and related matters."

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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