by Bernie English
bernie@limerickpost.ie
A STRUGGLING father has revealed to the Limerick Post how he has to borrow up to €600 most months from family and moneylenders to keep a roof over his own head and that of his disabled daughter.
Paul Hourigan is raising his daughter, Holly (10) alone in their privately rented accommodation in the city centre and having had to give up his job as a scaffolder to care for her full-time, he says there’s no other way he can cope.
“I’ve had to borrow money from a moneylender and I’m doing all I can to pay that back. My family have taken out three loans to help me in their own names and I haven’t a hope of repaying that,” Paul told the Limerick Post.
While he does receive support from the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, Paul still struggles to put food on the table and keep up with rent payments, fearful that if he doesn’t the little family will be homeless.
Holly has been disabled since birth and has multiple medical appointments every week. The family have no car and quite often, there isn’t a bus which will get them to appointments on time so Paul has to pay for taxis.
“We can’t miss medical appointments. She’s never missed one but there is a cost for that,” said Paul
Between an increase in his €1,200 a month rent and the spiralling cost of living, Paul says borrowing “is the only way we can manage. If it wasn’t for my family myself and Holly would be out on the street.”
Paul says he knows others in the same sinking poverty boat. “Some people gamble to try to get an extra bit of money and that just doesn’t work. But I can understand how desperate they are to try anything.”
Paul shared his struggle with the Limerick Post as business leaders this week revealed that workers are going in desperation to their employers for loans to try to keep pace with rising living costs.
According to Damien McCarthy, CEO of HR consultancy firm, HR Buddy. “A number of knock-on effects are being seen in our everyday dealings with clients. One is a rise in employees approaching their employers for loans. It gives a very clear indication that people are really struggling. An employee asking their employer for a loan is not something that would be very common but it is now becoming a more frequent occurrence.”
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