Social housing waiting lists fall over 36% in six years

Fri, 24 Mar, 2023 - 13:19

Kenneth Fox

The Government has said that the social housing waiting list have fallen by over 36.8 per cent in six years.

This has resulted in 33,000 less households on social housing waiting list since the first annual assessment in 2016.

The Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien published the figures on Friday from the 2022 Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).

The 2022 SSHA shows 57,842 households were assessed as being qualified for, and in need of, social housing support as of November 1st, 2022.

This figure is down 1,405 (2.4 per cent) from 59,247 households on November 17th, 2021. This figure also represents a total decrease of 33,758 (36.8 per cent) since 2016.

Minster O'Brien welcomed the publication of the data, noting that for a sixth consecutive year the overall number of households on local authority waiting lists continued to decrease.

Commenting on the figures, he said: “The trend is encouraging, but we must not, and will not, lose sight of the fact that there are still over 57,000 households who are relying on us for the provision of housing support.

“That said, we are going in the right direction. Investment in social and affordable housing is significant and funding is in place."

The news comes as the Government have faced massive backlash from opposition leaders for voting to end the eviction ban.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar criticised the opposition motions against the Government as “political theatre” as both the Labour Party and Sinn Féin prepare votes over the ending of the eviction ban next week.

Labour has confirmed it will use its private members’ time next week to bring forward a motion of no confidence in the Government over the end of the eviction ban.

On Wednesday, the Government won a vote on ending the ban at the end of March after it secured a deal with a group of independents.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said tabling the no confidence motion is not something the party did lightly, but it had “no choice in the current circumstances”.