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George Ezra

Anyone For You

Nearly 1,500 On Social Housing List In Offaly

Tuesday, 18 February 2020 12:27

Six families are also staying in emergency accommodation at the moment.

Nearly 1,500 people are on the housing list in Offaly.

There are currently 629 applicants for social housing and a further 871 receiving Housing Assistance Payments.

Six families and 25 single people are also staying in emergency accommodation in Offaly.

The local authority says it's tackling the waiting list with 106 allocations made to council units during last year, 26 to rental assistance schemes or leasing, 18 to approved housing bodies, and 13 availed of the mortgage to rent solution.

A total of 72 houses were built for social housing in 2019, the council also bought 36 houses, and approved housing bodies purchased another 15. 

These, along with the newly built units, brought the council's total housing stock to 1,895.

This year, 53 houses are under construction - including 27 in Edenderry, 18 in Tullamore, and eight in Birr.

An additional 199 social housing units are in the pipeline - including 86 on different sites in Tullamore, 38 in Clara, and 32 in Portarlington, and seven in Daingean.

The council says its land bank needs to be replenished and is obliged to comply to the four-stage process for housing schemes, but is serious about getting the job done.

An Offaly councillor says the local authority's housing policy simply isn't good enough.

Independent Seán O'Brien is criticising the lengthy four-stage process that projects must follow, and feels it's restricting any real progress.

Councillor O'Brien says old local authority home being left vacant is an example of wasted resources and a poor attitude

 

 

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