DUN Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has been urged to call on the Government to provide it with residential units that are in the possession of the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) for social housing.
Sinn Féin activist Shaun Tracey claimed that on NAMA’s website it states there are 210 housing units within the Dun Laoghaire area that are
“potentially available
? for social housing.
Mr Tracey called on the council to ask the Government to persuade NAMA to release these homes to the local authority so they could be allocated to housing applicants on the council’s waiting list.
The call follows the establishment of the NAMA Asset Residential Property Services Ltd last month. It has been given the responsibility of taking possession of residential units from NAMA debtors so they can be used by local authorities.
The Government maintains that the new company will result in the provision of more than 2,000 social houses by the end of 2013.
Mr Tracey said:
“Thousands of families are languishing on the waiting list in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, one of the longest waiting lists in the State. Many of them are living in unsuitable or overcrowded accommodation for up to 10 years.
“It is imperative that the council does all in its power to house as many people as possible as quickly as possible. It is incredible to think that there are 210 empty housing units in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown in perfectly good condition while there are thousands desperately waiting to be housed.
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He added:
“I would urge the council to join with Sinn Féin in lobbying the Government to release these homes so they can be put to good use.
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A spokesperson for the council said:
“The Housing Agency is working with local authorities, NAMA, approved housing bodies and the Department of the Environment nationally, in an effort to progress the bringing of the properties into use for social housing as quickly as possible.
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There was nobody available at NAMA for comment.