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4000 on Council Housing List 10s Millions spent on Rent support!

Cllr Catherine Murphy questions Government approach to problem.

According to Cllr Catherine Murphy,  Kildare has just short of 4000 individuals or families on their housing waiting list.   This may come as a surprise to many given that we are at the end of the biggest construction booms in the history of the state.   With far more applicants than houses the Council operates a points system where the length of time on the waiting list,  together with family size,  current housing conditions etc. determines  who is allocated the limited number of houses that will come available.   It is not unusual for applicants to wait  5 years or more years before being allocated a house.  

Housing applicants are placed in specific categories defined by the number of bedrooms in the house/apartment.  This  is determined by the household size,  for example an elderly couple are presumed to require a one bedroom housing unit.  On occasions this is insufficient because it does not provide for family members to stay over,  should one or both become ill.   Similarly separated parents,  mainly Dads,  with access to their children are often underprovided for.    Government policy and not individual Council’s determines the size of accommodation provided for.

To qualify to be included on the Council’s  waiting list you must  (a) be in need of housing  (b) in overcrowded or substandard accommodation,  or (c) be in overpriced accommodation.  Many of those on the waiting list are being assisted to pay their rent by  the HSE,  while others are living with friends or family,  others are struggling to pay rent, most if not all would not earn enough to qualify for a mortgage.

In recent years Government Policy has resulted in Council’s acquiring houses/apartments in private estates through the Part V process.    With the downturn in the construction sector this avenue will have reduced dramatically.  With a limited land bank,  it is difficult to see how Council’s can make  inroads into this housing need unless government policy changes.      According to Cllr Murphy it is a false economy to fork out tens of millions on rent assistance for an indefinite period,  when a more permanent solution could be provided for.      It’s a bit like paying for prefab classrooms when permanent classrooms could be provided for little extra and where there is a  long term gain from doing so.

Kildare like all other Councils were notified earlier in the year by  Government as to the amount they are to receive from the exchequer for their house building programme,   in recent weeks this programme has been put on hold,  at least until after the emergency budget.    According to Cllr Murphy now is the time we should consider how best to spend these scarce funds,  which are in addition to the huge sums currently being spent on rent support.According to Cllr Catherine Murphy, 

 

At a recent Council meeting Cllr Murphy received the following report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23.    Councillor Murphy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That the Council inform us how many individuals/families are currently on the housing waiting list,  in what categories i.e. 1B, 2B and 3B.  With the reduction in  house building

 

 

 

 

What is the projected intake of Part 5 housing over the coming years,  what numbers are likely to be delivered from the voluntary sector?   What is the estimated timeframe to clear the current waiting list?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Report

 

 

 

 

(a)    Housing Waiting List

 

 

 

 

1 Bedroom                               1,606

 

 

 

 

2 Bedroom                               1,331  

 

 

 

 

3 Bedroom                                 871

 

 

 

 

4 Bedroom                                 186

 

 

 

 

5 Bedroom                                     2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Housing Applications:   3996

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b)    The delivery of units through Part V of the Planning & Development act for social housing is dependant on a number of factors including housing need and price.  It is primarily dependant on developers applying for planning permission and subsequently delivering these units.  Delivery of social units under Part V is subject to individual negotiation,  timing of developments,  level of need in the area,  type of units,  funding and/or availability of allocation under the Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP). Accordingly,  predicting actual numbers likely to be secured under Part V is difficult,  especially in the current economic climate.

 

 

 

 

The housing waiting list is a list of all applicants who have indicated a preference for social housing.  A sizeable portion of applicants are in accommodation which currently meets their housing need e.g. private rented accommodation.   Kildare County Council prioritises applicants with a long-term housing need for social housing which can only be identified through working with the applicants on the type of accommodation most suitable for their current needs.  It is therefore not appropriate to equate the current housing list with need for social housing.  There are,  for example a sizeable portion of applicants who do not require social housing but are on the housing list for other reasons such as obtaining rent supplement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued:

 

 

 

 

Peter Minnock ,  Director of Housing & Architectural Services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by on April 4, 2009. Filed under Your Home & You. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.