‘We want to stay here’ – Dozens protest over Riverview evictions

A protest was staged at Riverview apartment complex in Kilbeggan last weekend where around 30 residences have received eviction notices.

The protest was attended by dozens of tenants, who have been given until July to vacate their homes, as well as other members of the community and local politicians as a show of support.

The owner of the complex, the Remcoll Group, announced last month that it planned to sell 77 housing units in the estate.

Resident Patrick Keenan told the Westmeath Examiner that he had been homeless before moving to Riverview. “We had been living in a car for nine months,” he said.

“We got this about two and a half years ago and thought it was going to be our forever home, but now it’s being sold.” Agnes Cullen, with whom he shares a home, said the whole situation “doesn’t make sense”.

“We’ve always wanted to live in Riverview,” she said. “It was our dream to live here and we finally got the apartment – but now we’re being told to move.

“We’re on HAP with Offaly County Council and have heard nothing from them, they said nothing to us apart from ‘contact Threshold’.”

Those who have received notices to quit at Riverview so far are those in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment through the local authorities in Westmeath and Offaly.

The remaining tenants are mostly on long-term social housing leases with Westmeath County Council (WCC) or the Fr Peter McVerry Trust.

In a statement released earlier this month, WCC said they are currently engaging with an approved housing body to support an acquisition of some of the homes at Riverview.

At the protest on Saturday, February 17, Deputy Sorca Clarke said the potential acquisition begs more questions than answers.

“I think this is only a solution for some people,” she said. “I think a suggestion like that leads to more questions than answers – will the approved housing body be taking over units people are currently living in, will they be looking to purchase a block or two and move people into those?

“I also think communication needs to be improved rapidly and WCC’s housing staff need to come out here and talk to people on the ground – tell them what’s going on.”

Deputy Clarke said the seriousness of the situation “can’t be overestimated”.

“I think it’s incredibly frightening and scary for the people living here and I would share every single one of their concerns,” she said.

“Nationally we are in the middle of a housing crisis and when someone does get a notice to quit, it does strike fear very quickly.

“Where you have a large group of people in a development like Riverside, that is compounded, simply by the sheer scale of it.”

Anna Miranda has been living at Riverview for 11 years and said she loves her home and wants to stay where she is.

“I don’t want to move but we are being forced to move,” she said. “We are being told to move from here – but what are the government’s plans for us?

“We will be homeless; this is not good. I work, I pay taxes and it’s not fair on people like me and others who are working.”

The Riverview apartment complex was first brought to market in 2007 and is now valued in the region of €10m.