Over 6,000 applicants are on waiting list to receive housing

over 6,000 applicants are currently on a waiting list to receive housing across South Dublin, with average wait times for a two-bedroom house currently standing at eight years, according to revelations from this month’s SDCC meeting

This revelation came following a question posed by Councillor Daniel Loftus at the July Committee meeting, who went on to state that these numbers are “not good enough.”

It was also noted that for those awaiting a three-bedroom house, a 10-year wait is expected before they can be allocated a home.

As of June 30, a total of 6,263 people are currently on the social housing waiting list in the SDCC area, with numbers staying almost stagnant for several years.

Councillor Loftus commented on the lack of movement of numbers on the SDCC housing list since 2022, saying;

“Since March 2022, the number of households on the waiting list has dropped from 6,427 to 6,263. This is a drop of 2.5 per cent in 52 months. At this rate the housing list will be cleared in 163 years.”

Cllr Loftus also asked SDCC for the number of people waiting a housing transfer and the number of suitable accommodation offers that have been made as of June 30.

SDCC noted thar a total of “35 offers of suitable accommodation have been made to eligible applicants on the housing transfer

list.”

Of these, 23 offers were refused by applicants, while 12 households successfully transferred to one- and three-bedroom accommodation.

A transfer request may be completed on the basis of exceptional medical or compassionate grounds, the right-sizing accommodation for older persons, as well as overcrowding

or the need to right-size to the specific home

size to match the tenants’ needs.

Cllr Loftus made further comments on the length of the housing list in SDCCauthoritative area, saying: “There are 3,319 applicants on South Dublin’s housing list hoping to receive a one-bedroom home in the future. According to the response to another question I raised, these applicants will be waiting between 7 and 8 years for an offer of housing.”

“The applicants for a 2-bed home will also be waiting 8 years for an offer of accommodation while the 905 applicants on the 3-bed list will be waiting more than 10 years before they receive an offer of housing.”

Cllr Loftus criticised the government’s lack of action regarding the housing crisis and also called out local authorities, saying;

“The government and their ruling groups in local authorities must take the housing crisis seriously and start acting because the people of Sth Dublin County Council can’t wait 163 years.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme