By Dionne Meehan

SIX months after a collision that killed his brother, and left himself with life-changing injuries, Letterkenny man Martin Gallagher now finds himself homeless.

A funding shortfall has stalled vital accessibility works on his home and family members are now trying to help him find alternative accommodation.

On St Patrick’s Day, Martin and his brother Anthony were struck by a car just metres away from their house on Charlie Daly Terrace in Ballymacool, as they returned from a night out at a local pub.

Anthony, who worked as a council ‘lollipop’ man, succumbed to his injuries, while Martin was left with life-changing injuries which severely limit his mobility.

For the past three months, Martin has been living in a rehabilitation premises in Letterkenny where he has been working hard to learn how to walk again.

And although he is now physically fit enough to leave the facility, he finds himself with nowhere to go as his home was deemed ‘unsafe’ to live in by an engineer from Donegal County Council.

With his family unable to find suitable short-term accommodation and his place at rehab being sought by others, Martin has been left feeling like a burden on both the HSE and Donegal County Council.

Speaking to the Donegal News, Martin’s cousin, Sinead McCool said despite Martin’s approval for a housing adaptation grant, a major funding shortfall remains to make his home safe.

“I applied for a grant for Martin through Donegal County Council,” Ms McCool said.

“But when the engineer from the council went out to look at the house, even though Martin was entitled to the grant, he said €100,000 extra wouldn’t see to it as there is so much to be done.

“The house was always in a bad state of repair, but, when Martin was living there with no disability, it was safe as far as we knew.

“But, when you have a professional telling you ‘no, the house isn’t safe to live in’, and obviously now Martin has additional needs, the house is not habitable.”

As Martin’s name is now on the social housing list on medical grounds, the family highlighted the long wait times and uncertainty over where he might be placed.

“The advice from the council at the minute is to ‘sit tight’ and go where the HSE put him,” Ms McCool said.

“But, it is heart-breaking trying to explain to Martin that if he is sent to Inishowen, he has to go – especially for a man who knows nothing but the bottom of the town in Letterkenny, and who is coming to terms with what happened over the past six months.”

In the meantime, the family have been frantically searching for private accommodation for the well-known local man.

Reaching out to various local representatives for help, Ms McCool said her pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.

“When us, his extended family, look back at that candle lit vigil on March 18, which so many councillors attended, we now feel it was all just a grand gesture to be seen,” she said.

“The county council, where Anthony worked to provide safety for the children of Letterkenny, have done nothing.

“To me, it is just a joke.

“Martin feels like a burden on everybody and nobody should feel like that.”

If you, or someone you know, have suitable accommodation for Martin, Sinead can be contacted via the Donegal News.

Appropriate accommodation would include a ground floor apartment, flat or a bungalow, situated in Letterkenny.