Homeless soldier with infant child denied military accommodation

A young soldier serving with the Defence Forces has been denied permission to live in military accommodation, despite being homeless and having an infant child.

Defence Forces sources said it was the first case they have come across of a soldier presenting as homeless with a child.

It comes as figures released on Friday show the number of homeless people in the State living in emergency accommodation has risen to 11,988, including 3,472 children.

The number of people recorded as homeless has increased by more than a fifth in the last year.

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The enlisted soldier has been denied permission to live in the accommodation quarters on her base or in vacant houses owned by the military.

In response to queries, the Department of Defence said the “provision of residential accommodation is not provided to members of the Defence Forces” and that the policy of providing “tied housing” was discontinued in the early 1990s.

“The accommodation provided [in army barracks] is related to training and operational requirements,” a Department spokeswoman said.

A significant number of personnel live in army barracks around the country, including married officers and families with children.

According to sources with knowledge of the case, the woman became homeless in October last year.

She applied for and received a Housing Assistance Payment but was unable to find accommodation on the private market. In January 2023, she informed her superiors of her situation and appealed for assistance.

Efforts were made to find property owned by the Department of Defence that would be suitable and officials considered a number of military-owned houses.

The Department looked at several vacant properties, some requiring maintenance. Sources said the amount of work needed to make some of the units fit for habitation would be relatively small.

However, six weeks after applying for assistance the woman was told she would not be assigned any military housing this year.

Since then the woman and her child have been sleeping on the couches of family and friends, it is understood.

A spokeswoman for the Defence Forces said it does not comment on individual circumstances but that “members of the Defence Forces who present with challenging personal circumstances will be facilitated, where possible, within means and capabilities”.

She said the Defence Forces “offers a range of support services to our serving personnel that are experiencing difficulties”.

One serving member described the situation as an example of the “inequality” between officers and enlisted ranks. “If it was an officer in that situation, you can be sure they would have found a solution.”

It is an issue that was highlighted in the recent Independent Review Group report on abuse, bullying and discrimination in the military.

The concept of officers being regarded as superior, and being treated as such, was about 70 years out of step with the rest of Irish society, the IRG said.

The “lower ranks” suffer “physical, emotional and other forms of denigration, bullying and harassment” in order to “ensure they do not challenge or seek to take over from the ‘ruling elite’”. This is done “under the guise of ensuring a disciplined force”, the group alleged.

The issue of accommodation was one of the main concerns raised by Defence Forces personnel with the Commission on the Defence Forces, which recommended last year that the upgrading of military accommodation for single people be speeded up and expanded.

[ Any review of misconduct in Defence Forces must include department and Minister ]