The Rafter family grew up in Tallaght, Dublin 24 in the 80's and 90's , a time when Tallaght and many suburban communities had been built on the outskirts of Dublin to accommodate the growing Irish population. Many families , originally from Dublin inner city moved to these suburban communities to start their lives. Access to housing either via private purchase or local authority housing was at this time an achievable feet for people. Families tended to live near relatives. The Rafter's grew up with cousins, aunts and uncles living local to . They had a good social network , access to local school, local church and lots of areas to play and enjoy the community. A childhood filled with family picnics, friends and relatives popping in for tea and chats, and a childhood spent playing kick the can or a game of rounders on the local field. Mrs Rafter ran the house and Mr Rafter worked in a semi state government company and sometimes did the odd 'nixer', to earn extra money . They had what they needed growing up. These photographs are family photos, used with the families permission .
Fast forward to 2000, the Rafter siblings were all mid twenties and wanted to get their own homes and start their lives. However access to housing at this time was not as accessible or available to this generation as it was for their parents. Despite , dual full time employment relationships , they were unable to afford to buy a home close to their community and social networks. They did not qualify for social housing and local authority housing assistance that was available in the 70's and 80's had been removed. Therefore they had to move away from their communities and family and friends network. There are 8 Rafter siblings, in 2026, one lives in Louth, one lives in Kildare, one lives in Wicklow, one lives in Carlow , one lives in Kilkenny, one lives in Dublin and the remaining siblings aged 30 and 32 live in the family home in Tallaght, unable to secure housing of their own, the generation described by Rory Hearne, as the hidden generation, stuck , not registered as part of the homeless figures , but unable to secure their own home, due to high rents, unaffordability of housing and in recent years lack of housing availability. For two of the siblings , affordability to purchase their own homes was only possibly after going to live and work abroad and save for a deposit to buy a home. One of the siblings is interviewed, for this page and expressed the struggle living away from family for a period of ten years.
Integrating into a new community and making new social networks , whilst commuting to work and raring children is difficult to do in a society where both parents generally are required to work to afford the current cost of living, coupled with a lack of support network because family and friends are far away has led to what can be described as a fractured or displaced cohort of families, struggling to make a Home away from Home and missing the sense of belonging that they grew up with.
The Rafter siblings case study shines a light on this from the personal perspective and lived experience of a family that are living in a Home's Away From Home.
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