Five-year wait to house those with an intellectual disability

THERE are currently 268 applicants on the Standard Medical List and a further 257 on the Supported Living Medical List who are awaiting appropriate housing allocation for their needs.

Depending on the housing need, these individuals, who have been granted medical approval on the basis of an intellectual disability, sensory disability, or mental health condition, are expected to wait an average of at least five years for a home.

For individuals seeking a one-bedroom home. the average number of years on the list is five-and-a-half, with two-bedroom homes slightly less, at five years.

There is a major increase in waiting times for a three-bedroom home, at just over nine years, with individuals expected to wait ten-and-a-half years for a four-bedroom home.

Since June 2024, 189 people with medical approval have been allocated a home

Councillor Niamh Whelan was prompted to ask about housing waitlists at this month’s SDCC meeting off the back of an interaction with members of a parents’ lobby group; ‘Before We Die’, which has been campaigning for the Government to fund and deliver residential places for adults with intellectual disabilities.

The ‘Before We Die’ campaign brings awareness to the 1,500 adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland that live with family carers over the age of 70, with 450 of these cared for by parents over the age of 80.

This group’s focus is providing stable accommodation for adults with additional needs within their communities, with neighbours and family members nearby, as opposed to spaces outside of the county.

Cllr Niamh Whelan referred to members of her constituency who have come to her seeking help regarding this issue.

“Over the years we’ve had people in the community come to us with the same worries, asking us ‘where will my child go when I die?’ And there’s actually been physically nowhere.

We’ve tried with the council and through the HSE to try and find them permanent residency, and it’s just it’s near impossible at times” she said.

She does, however believe there has been an improvement in recent years, with some of the new housing developments including accommodation for individuals with disabilities, but more progress is still needed.

Cllr Whelan is hoping Government bodies will work to put “actual concrete policy and ownership” around the issue of housing for individuals with disabilities to ensure there is greater responsibility taken towards providing housing on a level that meets demand.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme