Visually-impaired Strabane woman forced from home

THE sister of a visually-impaired Strabane woman who was forced to move out of her home due to a severely leaking roof, has criticised the Housing Executive for its failure to act.

Tracy Finlay this week explained that her sister, Courtney, who has minimal vision, had little option but to abandon the sodden property on Meetinghouse Street prior to Christmas.

She claimed that, as well as belongings being close to ruin – as they’ve been saturated with rainwater – Courtney’s health has also been in decline because she didn’t feel safe in the home.

Detailing Courtney’s plight, Tracy said, “This has been going on months.

“Our mother, who lived in a bungalow behind Courtney, was looking after Courtney before she passed away. Both my uncle and I have been looking out for Courtney since.”

Tracey said, “We stored my mum’s belongings in Courtney’s flat but problems arose when her ceiling in the kitchen began caving in. That got fixed but the damage then spread to the bedroom and, despite promises from the Executive, it has yet to be fixed and Courtney’s health has declined because of this.

“I have been fighting with the Housing Executive since last year about this.

“We’ve had numerous assurances that the roof would be fixed, including at a meeting on January 29… This flat has been rendered virtually unliveable.

“ The recent bad weather has only exacerbated the issue, although it should have been sorted before now.

“All my mother’s belongings are close to ruin and Courtney isn’t even able to sleep in her own bed because it’s soaking.”

After months of delays, contractors for the Housing Executive finally arrived at the house on Monday of this week, although according to the Executive, the entire roof requires replacing.

Tracey added, “Courtney has been forced to come out and live with me, so the flat is empty.

“It had been suggested that she goes to a homeless shelter in Derry but that’s not happening.

“Part of her support network is in Strabane so sending her away is a non-starter. Both of us are at the end of our tether.”

Supporting the Finlay family is independent councillor, Raymond Barr.

“It’s an absolute disgrace that the Executive wanted to send Courtney to Derry, far away from the support network on which she relies,” Cllr Barr said. “There have been plenty of promises but, so far, no solutions.”

After being contacted about the months of waiting to fix the leaking roof, a spokesperson for the Executive said they had been delayed on health and safety grounds due to ‘adverse weather conditions’.

The spokesperson offered, “We are aware of the ongoing issues with the roof at this property. On inspection, we realized that roof tiles were beyond their life span and it was necessary to replace the entire roof.

“The roof replacement is due to commence this week and again, this is subject to suitable weather conditions.”