A Galway student who was forced to move house because her clothes were 'going black with mould' has said she could soon be facing homelessness.
NUIG Students Union Equality Officer Izzy Tiernan is struggling to find a place to live after moving out of her home for health reasons.
She told Lunchtime Live she has been searching 'non-stop' for the past three weeks - and may have nowhere to go on December 1sr.
"At the moment, I'm searching for accommodation because I had to give my notice in about a month ago now because of a really serious mould issue that I found in my room," she said.
"I've been living in the place since May and in September I got the early stages of pneumonia.
"I have very severe asthma, the room was becoming really, really damp".
'My health is suffering'
Izzy said she discovered mould "covering nearly all" of her clothes.
"I had to do about 10 loads of washing to clean every piece of clothing I own," she said.
"Since then, I was in contact with the landlord and there apparently was nothing [that] could be done.
"I'm still searching for somewhere to live; my health is suffering because of the damp and the wet in the room.
"I'm trying my best to combat it with dehumidifiers and giving the room a deep, deep clean every single week."
Izzy said she helps find accommodation for others as part of her job at the NUIG Students' Union.
"It's a bit strange being put in the same situation myself, but I know first-hand how dire it all is," she said.
"To have to try find somewhere for me to live in has been horrendous to be honest".
Izzy TiernanIzzy said the options are very limited in Galway.
"There's very few options and it's the distance as well," he said.
"Commuting for students and for myself it's incredibly expensive to try to come in from as far as Claregalway.
"I have some students that I know are commuting from Limerick to Galway every day.
"It's trying to find somewhere that isn't going to cost you over €1,000, that has a reliable bus route, and that is also adequate and suitable for you to live in.
"Once you put those three things together, your options become very, very limited."
On-campus accommodation
Izzy said even the on-campus options that are available are very costly for students.
"The university built and opened new student accommodation on-campus, and it's between €850 to €1,000 per month for a room," she said.
"It's not only that the options aren't there, but the options that are there are incredibly high.
"[They] are just not suitable for students to be able to afford, who might have to work full-time as well as studying full-time to try put themselves through college.
"Even then, you might not be able to afford the rents that a lot of places are charging right now," she added.
University of Galway has three student residences that can house over 1,800 students; however, the university said they are all fully booked for the 2023/24 academic year.
