Single housing applicants may be asked to co-habit with others on Cork housing list

Single applicants for housing may be asked to share houses with other single applicants, in a bid to cut  the housing list at Cork County Council.

The Council’s head of housing has said the local authority is looking at encouraging more like-minded single people into “co-living” in three and four-bed local authority houses, following a successful pilot project in Cobh.

Moving single people off the waiting list into larger homes when they become vacant could help cut long housing lists.

Very successful pilot projects have been undertaken in Cobh, a meeting of the council’s Northern Division were told, although they involved ex-military personnel who are used to sharing accommodation.

Independent councillor Ger Curley, a former member of the navy, said that two houses in Cobh have already been used by the council for a pilot scheme and he is hopeful that another will shortly be allocated in that town to retired members of the Defence Forces.

The council worked on allocating these with the help of One (Organisation of Ex-Service Personnel), the Defence Forces charity.

“It has worked very well and there are great advantages in doing this for the council and for the people involved. Firstly, the council gets more single people into the one house, rather than having to provide them with single units which are more expensive,” 

Mr Curley said.

Secondly, he added, there are advantages for the occupants as they are not socially isolated and can share the utility bills, which saves them money.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Northern Division, Keith Jones, head of the local authority’s housing directorate, explained the council is now looking to engage with voluntary housing bodies to identify like-minded people who could share houses.

Independent councillor William O’Leary had asked about progressing schemes around the county like the ones undertaken in Cobh.

In response, Mr Jones said the council is actively engaging with voluntary housing bodies and organisations like One to progress more co-living projects.

Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O’Brien told Mr Jones that the council should be pushing to acquire additional properties which can accommodate more singles and doubles as well, and he said they are doing this.