A mother facing homelessness said she has gone around 'knocking on doors' to try and secure a place to stay.
Pamela (54) has been searching for a place to live for her family of four in Co Wexford as she cannot afford to pay a rental hike.
The family rent a house for €1,200 but say their landlord has decided to rise their rent by 45%.
She told Lunchtime Live about the devastating impact of a sharp increase in rent.
"We continued to look for another rental property and have emailed and applied for numerous, countless properties around the Wexford area," she said.
"We've been to what you'd only describe as mass viewings - open viewings - where there's been 30 or 40 different families walking around one house.
"People [are] offering exorbitant rents to estate agents - it's ridiculous".
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Pamela said she was due to pay the increased rent on June 1st but couldn't afford it.
"We just paid our usual rent and then on Tuesday we got a registered letter giving us 28 days to sort it out," she said.
"At the moment we have 28 days to pay up the extra rent and then sign a contract for another year on the extra rent as well".
Pamela said they are facing homelessness as they are caught in the middle of supports.
"We're not in a Rent Pressure Zone, we can't get HAP (Housing Assistance Payment) or anything like that because we work," she said.
"So we're not entitled to any Government subsidies, we're not on a council housing list because we're over the threshold.
"We're really just stuck in the middle where we can't afford a private rental but we're too wealthy to be on a council housing list.
"We've gone down every route; they offered a mortgage of €160,000 and I would be paying that back until I'd be 70-years-old at €1,300 a month".
'Gone down every road' to avoid homelessness
Pamela, who works as a Special Needs Assistant, said she has contacted "everywhere" seeking help and advice to avoid homelessness.
"We've been so embarrassed, we've gone around and we've knocked on people's doors who we know have second houses that they may consider renting out to us, or derelict buildings that they might consider letting us do up," she said.
"We've literally gone down every road."
Pamela said one local representative told her she might be better off moving to England.
"I spoke to a local politician last July/August... and I had said to her we were considering packing up and moving to England only our youngest daughter is deaf and she has a lot of surround-sound systems and stuff in her school," she said.
"She said, 'You know what, maybe that might be something you might consider'.
"We've lived in shame, embarrassment, not being able to house your children - I'm 54-years-old, I've worked in this country since I was 16.
"I'm at this situation at this stage in my life and I'm just devastated".
'Thousands more like us'
Pamela said she just wants to pay her way and help her children.
"We're not looking for anything for nothing," she said.
"This is the whole point that I'd like to make: thousands more like us are looking to pay our way - we don't want you to hand us a house."
Pamela added that she's unsure where to turn next because "the landlord is in his every right" as she broke the contract by not paying the increased rent.
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