Dublin sees a 27% reduction in households on social housing waiting list in 5 years

Minister Darragh O’Brien says he has welcomes figures published in the 2021 Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) which show a reduction of 27.4% across the four Dublin local authority social housing waiting lists since the first annual assessment was conducted in 2016.

According to the 2021 Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) 35,572 households in Dublin were assessed as being qualified for, and in need of, social housing support as of 17 November 2021.

This figure represents a total decrease of 9,775 (27.4%) households since 2016 when annual recording of the SSHA began.

Nationally, 59,247 households were assessed as being qualified for social housing support as of 17 November 2021, down 2,633 (4.3%) from 61,880 households on 2 November 2020.

This figure is a reduction of 32,353 (35.3%) since 2016.

SSHA households

2016       2017       2018     2019     2020       2021

Dublin City                              19,811   19,220   16,514   16,529     14,001    12,709

Five-year change                                                                                                                -7,102 (-36%)

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown    3,341     3,307     2,843     2,624     2,427      2,437

Five-year change                                                                                                                -904 (-27%)

Fingal                                       6,858      7,271      6,993     5,607     5,461     5,589

Five-year change                                                                                                                -1,269 (-18.5%)

South Dublin                          5,562     5,869     4,846     4,938     4,764     5,062

Five-year change                                                                                                               -500 (-9%)

National                                 91,600   85,799   71,858   68,693   61,880   59,247

Five-year change                                                                                                               -32,353 (-35.3%)

The Minister also published the social housing statistics for Quarter 4 2021.

Nationally, a total of 4,010 social homes were delivered in Quarter 4, including 2,053 new build social homes, 810 acquisitions and 1,147 homes delivered through leasing programmes.

Overall in 2021, a total of 9,183 new social homes were delivered, an increase of 17% on 2020 figures.

This total includes 5,202 new build homes (an increase of 2.6% on 2020),  1,270 acquisitions and 2,711 homes delivered through leasing programmes.

The Minister welcomed the publication of the data, noting that for a fifth consecutive year the overall number of households on local authority waiting lists continued to decrease.

He also welcomed the fact that 9,183 social housing solutions were found for people despite the significant impact which the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent construction sector shutdowns had on efforts.

Commenting on today’s figures, Minister O’Brien said:

“These results are evidence that Government investment in social housing supports is working for Dublin.

“Nationally, Over 23,300 households had their housing needs met in 2021 – this is despite the very significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on delivery. It’s important to remember that most residential construction was halted for a 13-week period from January to April.

“We must not, and will not, lose sight of the fact that there are still over 25,000 households in Dublin who are relying on us for the provision of housing support. Housing for All, which was launched six months ago, sets us on a pathway to delivering 90,000 new social homes between now and the end of 2030. This year we will be investing more than €4bn to deliver 11,820 new social homes in 2022, including 9,000 new build social homes.

“As with all Department’s, we are watching the situation in Ukraine closely. The Russian invasion is having significant impacts on all sectors of society and our goal is to provide shelter and accommodation for those fleeing war while protecting to the greatest extent possible, Housing for All delivery at its existing pace.

“The strong pipeline of home building activity is encouraging.

“New figures show that in the past twelve months (March 2021 to February 2022), Commencement Notices for the construction of 33,006 new homes were received.

“This is the highest rolling 12-month total since comparable data was first published.

“Specifically related to social housing, the Construction Status Report for Quarter 4 2021, showed that there were 8,749 social homes onsite at the end of December, with a further 10,455 homes at various stages of design and procurement.

“Supporting local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to increase housing construction is a priority for my Department.”