Parents lobby for housing needs of adult children with intellectual disability in Mayo

A parent-led lobby campaign for government to deliver residential places for adults with an intellectual disability is gaining momentum.

At present, over 90 per cent of adults with an intellectual disability in Mayo are 'invisible' in terms of social housing need as they are not on the council housing list.

Data obtained from the CSO was shared with Mayo County Council's housing strategic policy committee which heard there are 815 adults with intellectual disability in Mayo who are living at home with parents.

Of those, 76 are living with parents who are aged over 70, representatives of the Before We Die Campaign, Juliet Keating and Kieran Joyce, revealed.

The national campaign started in October '25 when 15 parents, worried about what the future held for their sons and daughters as they get old, got together. A recent national assembly in Dublin had an attendance of 900 people.

As parents ask themselves 'What will happen to my child when I am no longer here to care for them?', among the issues the campaign wants to see addressed is an emergency plan for people living with parents over 70, a reformed housing application and one-stop-shop involving all agencies, such as councils, HSE and housing bodies, ring-fenced funding for Section 38/39 providers, and appropriate models of housing in local proximity, so people can remain living in their communities.

There is a drive to get people onto the housing list and those with carers over 70 are a priority, Ms. Keating told the committee, adding: “This is a crisis.”

Of the 815 Mayo adults living at home with carers, only seven per cent (60 people) are on the council housing list. The remainder are 'invisible' but the campaign is working to get them on the list.

As Mr. Joyce pointed out: “If you don't have them on the housing list, how can you plan for them.”

Ms. Keating highlighted how between 2022 and '25, some 96 homes were allocated to people with disabilities in Mayo. The figure for people with intellectual disability in that period was 15.

The group is seeking a dedicated housing framework in Mayo, small supported clusters, accessible/adaptable homes in new developments, partnership structures and clear delivery on housing, along with a dedicated liaison officer.

Councillors were supportive though the figures were queried given their work with bodies such as Western Care, for example.

Regulations were rightly in place through HIQA to make sure safeguards are in place, but it has had an impact on delivery, Councillor Brendan Mulroy pointed out. Where once they funded houses through the HAP scheme, those properties are now HIQA regulated and no longer being used.

Some people just needed a little support which could be catered for with an add-on to a family home, he said. And he urged families to have the conversation and start planning for the future the day a young person goes to school.

Director of services Catherine McConnell said data drives decisions and the drive to have people registered with the housing authority would create impetus to provide the type of housing needed.

Mayo, she said, has probably been ahead of the curve with partnerships with Western Care and Rehab, and two or three properties were commissioned recently where Western Care are providing wraparound supports.

The council is in the business of providing units but the other agencies need to be in lock step too.

* Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme