Social housing crisis must be addressed - Kelly

Cllr Anthony Kelly has renewed his call on the government to implement a realistic action plan to tackle the growing social housing crisis in Ireland.  The Sinn Féin rep said that recent figures showing that the national waiting list has risen by 12,827 over the past two years is proof that the state is not taking this issue seriously enough.

"There are currently 111,145 households sitting on waiting lists for social housing across this state,"  Cllr Kelly said.  "When you consider that 14.5% of dwellings lay unoccupied nationally, you realise what a gross travesty this really is.  It is an indictment of this coalition government that absolutely nothing is being done to counteract the rising waiting lists."

"The waiting list for social housing has grown by 50% since 2008.  The few things we have had in abundance during this recession are empty houses and unfinished estates yet there are twice as many families without homes now as there were at the start of this.  Why has nothing been done to take back the property that NAMA has acquired?  Why has there been no action to offer unfinished houses to families who might finish them as part of a deal for reduced rent?"

"This government doesn't care about the provision of social housing and the families who lie in eternal vigil on the ever increasing waiting lists.  It's one of the many things they share with their Fianna Fail predecessors.  After all, a recent report has shown that only 15000 social houses were provided during the boom, one fifth of what was promised.  No wonder we have these waiting lists now."