COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 14, 2011

QUESTION NO. 6

QUESTION: Councillor T. Ridge    

To ask the Manager,  1. Numbers on all lists and  2. Proposals as to how these applicants can be housed.  3. Is this Council going to acquire empty /unsold and partly finished houses and apartments?

REPLY: There are approximately 10,150 housing applicants on the council's social housing waiting list. Of these approx 6,300 are living in accommodation supported by rent supplement and approximately 1000 are living in RAS tenancies. All of these tenants chose their own homes.

This means that only 2,850 of our applicants are not benefitting from state housing support.

There are no capital monies allocated to us by the Department for new build social housing or house acquisition programmes.  In addition there are no current proposals to acquire empty /unsold or partially unfinished houses and apartments other than by the leasing initiatives.

The council will continue to use all available means to procure social housing for these applicants mainly through the Social Housing Leasing Programme, RAS, the completion of infill developments, casual vacancies, Part 5 procurements and the growing involvement of the Voluntary Housing Sector. 

The growing involvement of the Voluntary Housing sector in the delivery of social housing is instanced by the nearing completion of the Voluntary housing development at Springfield where over 200 units will be delivered by the summer by Respond and St John of Gods to which the council will have nomination rights.

There are now 1,257 RAS homes in the county. The RAS target for this year is 300 additional homes and 50 had been delivered by the end of February. There are 33 leased homes in the county to date and the target for 2011 is 200.