Donegal’s ’Silver Circle’ seeks ’vulnerable group’ status in DCB scheme - Donegal Daily

Members of the Defective Concrete Block (DCB) ’Silver Circle’ group have told a meeting of Donegal County Council’s DCB committee that they fear they are facing...

Members of the Defective Concrete Block (DCB) 'Silver Circle' group have told a meeting of Donegal County Council's DCB committee that they fear they are facing a race against time.

A deputation from the group, which is made up of older and retired homeowners, presented a submission to the committee in Lifford today, during which they told them that 'a scheme that isn't for all is a scheme for none'.

Three members of the group, Mary Connors, Phil Boulton and Jacqueline McLaughlin, spoke to the meeting and were joined in the chamber by a number of other home owners.

Jacqueline McLaughlin was the first to speak and said there are 'people in this country who will not live to see their homes repaired.'

The 74-year-old, who lives in Fahan said: "This scheme fails many people, but it fails the elderly most of all. And that leaves this committee with a plain and simple question: does Donegal County Council care about its older people?"

She outlined how, at the recent DCB Silver Circle meeting, several home owners spoke about their fears of passing away before their home is remediated.

"On this scheme as it stands, for a young family, a delay of years is a terrible hardship," she added.

"For someone in their seventies or eighties, years may be all the time we have left.

"There are people in this county who will not live to see their homes repaired under this scheme as it stands. That is not an exaggeration. That is arithmetic."

Mrs McLaughlin also described the Enhanced Defective Concrete Block Scheme as one which is 'a system built for people online.'

"If you are not online, you are not informed. If you are not informed, you fall behind. And in this scheme, if you fall behind, you may never catch up . Mrs McLaughlin also spoke of older homeowner's financial worries.

"Thomas Pringle, former TD, told the Dáil that people in their fifties and early sixties were having to spend up €80,000 of their own money to fix their homes.

"If people in their fifties cannot find that money, what hope do people in their seventies and eighties have?

"One Inishowen pensioner worked out their own shortfall at €68,000. Most banks in this country want a mortgage paid off by the age of 70. No bank will lend €68,000 to a 74-year-old.

"A young family can take on a loan. We cannot. For older people, the gap is not a hardship. It is a wall.

She continued: "For those people fortunate enough to have a nest egg, why should a lifetime's savings be spent on a disaster they did not cause and could not have known about?

Addressing the committee, Mrs McLaughlin put it to them that their 'parents and grandparents,' are 'lying awake night after night, not knowing whether the home they raised their family in will still be standing when they need it most.'

She added how they were 'facing their final years with a debt that could outlive them. Time is not on our side'.

Phil Boulton told the committee of the health impacts of defective concrete homes.

He outlined how people his age spent their working lives 'building something for retirement'.

"We paid our taxes, raised our families and contributed to our communities. Change and upheaval can be more stressful for older people.

"These should be the years when we rest and enjoy what we worked for. Instead my retirement has been dominated by the defective block crisis.

"We are living with a level of stress we could never have imagined at this stage of lives."

A window in Philip Boulton's home, which shows the impact of defective concrete.

Philip outlined how Ulster University surveyed 393 adults living in defective concrete homes.

"More than a third of them, 35.5 per cent, had experienced thoughts of suicide after their home was suspected of having defective blocks. 15.5 per cent met the criteria for complex post-traumatic stress disorder."

He told the committee that 'two findings matter for older people in particular.'

"Fear for your safety in your own home was linked to severe depression, complex PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Being uprooted and moved out was linked to severe anxiety. Older people face both, and we face them with less strength to cope."

Phil told the committee of the many health issues he and his wife, Michelle, have suffered over the years.

Doctors have outlined how the damp and mould 'renders their house inhospitable, a major health hazard and is unfit for human habitation'.

Phil stressed that the crisis is 'making people physically ill'.

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He outlined the health impacts of mould and damp, with evidence on this reviewed by the World Health Organisation.

Phil said the crisis has also created a rental crisis of its own.

"In Inishowen, one woman was told her rent would rise from €480 to €1,120 a month. At that rent, the whole grant is gone in about fifteen months. where does an 80-year-old go then?"

He welcomed the side-by-side process of rebuilding for those with disability, but asked if this could also be extended to older people.

"Older age brings many of the same problems: reduced mobility, chronic illness, and less ability to manage a long and complex process alone. We ask this committee to recognise older people as a vulnerable group within this scheme, and to press for the side by side provision to be extended to them."

Phil concluded: "We're not asking for special treatment, but fair treatment."

Mary Connors outlined three main concerns and the demands of the group.

She told of the impact defective blocks and chronic stress has had on homeowners' mental health.

She said this is exacerbated by issues such as failure to obtain house insurances and uncertainty over the replacement of foundations.

Ms Connors said it was also 'hurtful' to hear the scheme being called a 'good' one.

She said the scheme has 'failed to address the major issues' and urged Donegal County Council to support homeowners by advocating on their and other homeowners' behalf.

She also highlighted the responses to a DCB Silver Circle survey, with comments including one from a homeowner who said they felt they were being 'buried alive'.

They are seeking an 100% Redress 'end-to-end' scheme, in parity with pyrite.

They have also asked that foundations be tested and removed, if affected and that the Department of Mental Health 'track and address DCB suicides.'

They also want assurance that new blocks are fit for purpose and said 'politicians must stop saying it is a good scheme.'

They also asked Donegal County Council to build modular homes for DCB Homeowners for displacement and that it does not accept the draft for a Social Housing scheme 'that does not include foundation testing and replacement.'

The Silver Circle group said that commercial property, community buildings and crèches must be included and asked DCC to meet with the Housing Department to address issues of mortgage ability, insurability, and foundations.

Councillors in the committee thanked the deputation for meeting with them and said many of the issues mentioned had also been highlighted by them on previous occasions.

Committee chairperson Gerry McMonagle said the group had represented the 'stark reality' of many homeowners.

He added that while the scheme 'does fit some people, it does not fit most people.'

He said that representatives from the committee are due to have a meeting with the Housing Department in the near future and will raised the issues highlighted by the group.

This was reiterated by the councillors in attendance in Lifford and online.

Michael McBride, Director of Services, told the group how many people within the council are either directly affected or have family members impacted by defective concrete.

He, too, confirmed that the issues highlighted will be raised in the meeting with the department.

He outlined the changes made to the scheme in recent times, including the side-by-side remediation option and the increases in maximum grant and rates.

Mr McBride also told of the 'great support' homeowners continue to receive from the DCB community facilitators and said staff at the council also work as much as possible to support homeowners.

He said that while these do not address all issues, they are 'hopefully' beneficial in reducing anxieties around some concerns.

In response to councillors and officials comments, Mrs McLaughlin stressed that 'time is not' on their side.

She said: "We can't wait for appeals that go on and on. We need answers now."

She added that she has emailed the Housing Minister asking for a 'face-to-face meeting,' but has not received a response.

Ms Connors urged Donegal County Council to 'take the lead' and have a meeting of all affected counties.