Funding to boost housing renovations

LOCAL authorities are to receive more funding to deal with boarded up houses.

Minister for Housing, Jan O’Sullivan, is allocating a further e15 million nationally for renovation works on 1,008 local authority homes.

Of this total Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council will receive e3.9 million and e823,000 respectively to bring social housing units back into stock.

Dublin North West TD John Lyons (Lab) welcomed the funding for Dublin City Council to bring 236 long-term vacant homes back up to scratch and made available to families on the housing list.

“The announcement of a second round of funding means e7.1 million will be given to Dublin City Council this year, to bring a total of 371 boarded up houses back into stock,

? he said.

“I speak to people on the housing list at my advice clinics every week who are fed up seeing boarded up houses in our community, at a time when there is a real housing shortage.

“Some of those houses stay that way for months, which has a knock-on effect for the whole area.

?

Deputy Lyons pointed out that empty council homes also attract anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping, especially when they’re left empty for months on end.

“This extra funding to the council to renovate these void houses will be a great relief to neighbours who live beside these homes, as well as families who are on the housing list,

? he added.

Dublin North TD Alan Farrell (FG) described the announcement as

“great news

? for the Fingal community.

“There are many people who are waiting for housing, while houses remain vacant and boarded up,

? he said.

“We must continue to return these houses to use by carrying out the necessary renovations to turn them into suitable family homes. I am delighted to see that this is a priority within the Department.

?

In April, Minister O’Sullivan announced e15 million nationally to kickstart the refurbishment of vacant local authority houses.