Calls made for 55 vacant SDCC houses to be made available

By Mary Dennehy

URGENT calls have been made for the 55 local authority homes vacant in South Dublin County to be made available – with calls coming in the same week that figures reveal how an additional 22 applicants joined the local homeless register between January and March of this year.

The issue of housing and homelessness was firmly fixed on the agenda of the full meeting of South Dublin County Council this month, with a number of elected representatives requesting information on the number of people currently awaiting housing – and what the council is doing to address it.

The Echo has learned that as of the end of March there were 8,168 applicants on the housing list, which includes 459 homeless applicants.

The Echo was unable to get a break down of the homeless numbers for March.

However, the council did confirm that at the end of February there were 447 individuals, couples and families registered as homeless – compared to 437 in January.

Of the 447 applicants on the homeless register at the end of February, 206 were families – with 64 of these families accommodated in Tallaght Cross, nine in Cuan Alainn and the remaining 133 in hotels and B&Bs.

There are also 502 people on the council’s medical priority list and 211 applicants in need of supported housing.

When asked how many local authority houses were allocated in the first two months of this year, council management confirmed that 39 people on the housing waiting list were homed in January and February – with a breakdown of these figures showing that 12 applicants were housed in Clondalkin, 11 in Lucan and 16 in Tallaght.

No applicants were homed in the Rathfarnham and Templeogue/Terenure areas during this time frame.

Tallaght Central councillor Charlie O’ Connor, who submitted a question on the number of vacant or boarded up houses in South Dublin County, told The Echo: “We all know that there is a huge issue around housing and it really does upset people when they see vacant, boarded up houses in their communities.

“I have heard that South Dublin County Council is one of the best local authorities at turning around houses but this is no consolation to those on the housing list for years or families sleeping in hotels.

“The council has confirmed that there is 55 houses currently vacant and I think it should be a priority to get these units sorted and allocated to a family as a matter of urgency.

“Alongside the urgent need for these homes, boarded up houses also attract anti-social behaviour and bring an area down.”

According to council management, 20 of the 55 vacant units are ready for allocation – with tenants signed up for 17 units and the remaining three advertised on the choice based letting system.

The remaining 35 dwellings are under various stages of repair, with tenants sourced for 20 units.

According to the council, potential tenants for the final 15 dwellings are currently being sourced from the housing list, transfers, homeless or medical priority, downsizing and overcrowding applicants.

According to the council, which spent nearly €3M on re-let repairs in 2016: “When a unit becomes vacant the process of sourcing of a new tenant commences immediately.

“Depending on the condition of the vacant dwelling, re-let works can usually commence without delay. Work is always prioritised in dwellings where tenants have been sourced.”

The council also said that the construction of in excess of 200 rapid build units across the county in 2017 and 2018 is one of the “key components” of the council’s response to homelessness.