Clare County Council insists it remains committed to proactively dealing with the social housing and homelessness issues in the county.
If follows criticism from a member of the local authority’s housing committee, Dermot Hayes, who claims a number of homes are lying idlea, at a time when there’s almost two thousand applicants on the social housing list.
Last year 51 new social houses were allocated in Sixmilebridge and Ennis, with an additional 40 due to come on stream this while the proposed Homeless Action Team Office and Family Hub Building in Ennis are expected to be operational.
But Dermot Hayes has been telling Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill that too much red tape is leading to unnecessary delays in housing those in need of a permanent home:
Statement from Clare County Council
Vacant local authority houses go through a process for re-letting to meet current letting standards and Clare County Council is working with contractors to speed up this process.
In conjunction with the HSE, Department of Social Protection and Approved Housing Bodies, Clare County Council is committed to proactively dealing with the social housing and homelessness issues in Clare and meeting the ambitious housing targets set by Government through acquisitions, returns of voids, Part 5 social housing, long and short term leasing, and our social housing capital programme.
In 2017, 28 new social houses were allocated in Sixmilebridge and 23 new social houses were allocated in Ennis. An additional 40 new social houses will be available during 2018. The proposed Homeless Action Team office and the Family Hub building, both in Ennis, also are expected to become operational during the first half of 2018.
