Number of households seeking social housing up 33 per cent in 5 years

The real number of households seeking social housing is up 33 per cent since 2016 according to think-tank Social Justice Ireland.

“This is just one manifestation of Ireland’s current housing crisis and the huge failure of Government policy in this area” according to Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst with Social Justice Ireland.

Ms Bennett was commenting on Social Justice Ireland’s 10-Point Plan to Solve the Housing Crisis to be submitted to Government today.

Ms Bennett went on to state:

“There are more than 170,000 social housing units in Ireland today.  This needs to be doubled if the country is to reach a target of 20% of all housing being made up of social housing.  Government needs to set a target to reach that level by 2030 if it is to genuinely solve Ireland’s housing crisis”.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently developing a new housing strategy Housing for All.

“Ireland’s housing crisis has not gone away”, according to Dr Seán Healy, CEO, Social Justice Ireland.

“The development of a new strategy is an opportunity to get it right, to move away from housing as an asset to housing as a home. Decent, affordable housing should be central to the formation of a new Social Contract and a new strategy should underpin that.”

In its submission to the Department, Social Justice Ireland urges Government to avoid the mistakes of the past and sets out a ten-point plan to address Ireland’s housing crisis. This includes:

1. Expand Housing First to families, providing wraparound services and supports for children and parents.
2. Acquire an equity stake in properties in mortgage distress, leaving families in situ and increasing the State’s housing stock.
3. Build 14,341 social homes each year for the next 10 years at an annual investment of €3.3 billion.
4. Prohibit the sale of State lands suitable for residential development and use this land to build social housing.
5. Ensure that AHBs (Approved Housing Bodies) retain their social housing stock and prohibit its sale on the private market by AHBs.
6. Address housing affordability on the supply-side rather than investing in demand-side schemes that artificially maintain high house prices.
7. Close all tax loopholes for large-scale investment vehicles purchasing residential properties.
8. Invest in Property Inspections and enforcements.
9. Legislate to increase tenant protections and introduce long-term leases.
10. Invest in the services and infrastructure to support housing developments, with particular focus on social housing developments.

Colette Bennett, Economic and Social Analyst, Social Justice Ireland said:

“Emergency housing policy in response to Covid-19 saw the introduction of a ban on evictions; a prohibition on rent increases; payment breaks for mortgage-holders; a decrease in the numbers of people accessing emergency homelessness accommodation and the return of properties for long-term rent from the short-term holiday lettings market. However, as restrictions lift, so too will these housing protections. We need a new housing strategy that is fit for purpose and is at the scale required to really address Ireland’s housing crisis.”