Five modular housing sites for homeless families identified

Five sites have been identified by Dublin City Council for the location of between 150 and 153 modular houses for homeless families.

The sites, details of which will be presented to councillors at a meeting on Thursday, are in predominantly disadvantaged areas of the city with Ballymun, Finglas and Darndale, chosen on the northside and Crumlin and Ballyfermot selected on the southside of the city.

The move follows the announcement earlier this month by Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly that 500 modular houses would be provided as emergency housing for homeless families across Dublin, 22 of which would be in place before Christmas.

In the report to be presented to councillors, it has not been stipulated which of the five sites would be used for the first 22 factory-built homes. However the Ballymun site at Poppintree is the only one identified to accommodate 22 units.

First tranche

The council said these first units will be provided through an “ultra-accelerated procurement” process and so it is likely that just a single site will be chosen for this first tranche.

The council has already issued tender documents for the 22 prefabricated homes and is seeking a response from interested parties by November 2nd, with the units to be in place by December 21st.

The remaining units, in the region of 130, are to be in place within the next four months, which will also require the use of a fast-track procurement process.

The greatest number of homes would be accommodated in Finglas at a site on St Helena’s Drive, which the report says could accommodate 40 homes. A site at Belcamp Avenue in Darndale has the next greatest potential with room for 38 units. On the southside Mourne Road in Crumlin has been selected for 29 homes and Cherry Orchard in Ballyfermot could accommodate 24 modular homes.

The report said the sites had been selected in line with motions passed by city councillors, and all five sites had already been selected for residential development in the city development plan.

Suitability

“The suitability of sites for the location of families and single persons currently in hotel accommodation was considered having regard to the criterion set out in the city council motions for selecting sites for modular housing,” the report said. “The sites should be located adjacent to services including transport, schools, retail neighbourhood centres, medical services, recreational and community amenities.”

The next tranche of modular housing, some 350 units, would be provided through a new national procurement framework, which is being developed by the Government.

Homeless households will be allocated the units on a licence as opposed to a tenancy arrangement and will pay an accommodation charge based on household income to the council.

The modular units will be capable of long-term use, the council said, and it is intended that multiple emergency placements of families will occur until such time housing supply is such that these temporary emergency measures are no longer necessary and units can be put to other uses.