Debt Act Claims Victim
Socialist Republic1978Housing, rents and local campaignsHousing, rents and local campaigns
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of May. ws: The North has one of the worsthousing records in Europe and the recent cuts in Belfast's Poleglass housing scheme show that it's not likely to get any better, But life for those housed in one of the ‘instant slums! thrown up by the housing executive is no picnic, This was clearly demonstrated by the recent massive protests by the residents of Divis Flats in which they called for the immediate - demolition, of the Flats, The intensity of these shocking housing conditions was tragically illustrated by the suicide of 41-year-old Rosaleen Anne Nolan, found hanging inthe closet of her Turf Lodge flat on the 2hth Mrs Nolan had repeatedly asked to be re-housed, She was responsible for a one parent family, had a mentally handicapped daughter and one girl at school and was herself an epileptic. The condition of the flat was reported as follo"The walls were often soaked when the toilet of the flat above overflowed and a broken drain in the front garden left a constant pool at her door which carried the dank and dirty water into her hall,"
The conditions for this tragic death could have occurred in many parts of Ireland: or Britain, But there is one arr | element in Mr’s Nolan's death which is unique to the sixcounties, For some time before her death the family's standard of living had been pushed below the poverty line by the draconian 'Payment for Debt Act', which allows the atate to take money om social security payments, See letter on back page.)
Mrs Nolan lived solely on the meagre supp lementary benefits payments she recieved, She fell behind with her rent, which meant that she came to the attention of the N.I. Office's Benefits Allocations Branch - a misnomer ifthere ever was one, for the dept exists to take away money from people in debt, Mrs Nolan: was never brought before any court or found guilty of any crime, but she was killed by a state bureaucracy that exists to punish the working-class for the 'crime!' of poverty.
This death comes as directly from imperialist exploitation as does British Army brutality. Any successful united action against imperialism must include action on these day-to-day struggles for survival by the working-class. The Divis Flats residents have shown that such a mobilisation is possible, It's up to the political parties, women's and community groups to build on this,