Fourteen new four-bedroom social housing units opened in Lucan

By Brendan Grehan

THE SOUTH DUBLIN County Council Housing list was reduced by 14 families earlier this week when 14 four-bedroom homes opened in Lucan.

The 14 social housing units at Moy Glas Glade were built by Respond! Housing Association. The development cost €4 million to build and was financed through a combination of the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and a Payment and Availability Agreement (PAA).

The 14 families who have now been housed consist of 20 adults and 58 children, many of whom were on the housing list for a very long time.

On Saturday, Respond ! Housing Association held a street party with the official opening of the development.

Speaking at the opening, the Mayor of South Dublin, Councillor Guss O’Connell said: “I would like, on behalf of the people of South Dublin, to welcome all the new residents of Moy Glas Glade to the Lucan Community. It is wonderful that 14 families, including 20 adults and 58 children, have been taken off the housing list thanks to Respond!. If we are to really solve our housing crisis, then we need many more initiatives such as this.”

Mayor O’Connell said South Dublin is not just about providing house but about building communities.

He added: “We are enriched in our county by the presence of over 120 different nationalities. At the same time this poses a challenge to us all to ensure that everyone is felt welcome and that their culture, traditions, hopes and expectations are understood and respected.

“I look forward to working with my councillor colleagues, Respond! and the Moy Glas Residents Association in ensuring that we have full integration between the established and the new residents.”

Respond! Housing will manage the Moy Glas Glade estate providing family support services and attending to the day-to-day needs of the residents as well as the property.

Ned Brennan, Chief Operations Officer of Respond! Housing Association told The Echo: “We are delighted to host a street party to open this lovely new development.

“We are conscious at all times that the most successful housing developments are the ones where the residents create a real sense of community among themselves and, importantly, with their neighbours.

“The only real way to solve our current housing and homelessness crisis is to build more social housing. Respond! is currently ramping up our current house building and acquisitions programme in order to deal with the substantial need for social housing that exists.”