Half of Dublin council tenants waited five years for home

Almost half of tenants housed by Dublin City Council last year had been on the social housing waiting list for more than five years.

The council allocated housing to 612 tenants and their families in 2013, with 292 who got homes having waited more than five years on the list.

Despite these allocations, the council’s waiting list continues to grow and last October was at almost 20,000 applicants, up 3,000 on last year.

Of those housed after less than five years 54 had been waiting more than four years, and the same number had been waiting three to four years. There were 62 tenants who had been waiting up to three years, 61 for up to two years and 89 who were housed after just one year or less on the list.

Homeless applicants

Just over one-third of those housed last year after less than a year were homeless. These 31 homeless applicants account for just 5 per cent of the total housed last year.

The figures were supplied by the council's housing department to Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan, who said some of her constituents had been on the list for almost 10 years.

“The figures supplied to me show that half the people housed last year had been on the list for more than five years, but I know from the evidence coming in and out of the constituency clinic that people are waiting a lot longer than that.”

While extra funding was being allocated for housing construction, with the Government planning to spend €3.8 billion to eliminate housing waiting lists by 2020, Ms Boylan said she was able to offer little hope to those in immediate need of accommodation.

Not enough

“The money that’s there is only touching the iceberg, I welcome any money for housing, and I think we have to look at all options, but when you see the numbers of people coming onto the list, and the length most people are on the list, it just doesn’t seem to be enough.”

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly this week said he would direct the four local authorities in Dublin to give 50 per cent of their accommodation allocation over the next six months to people who were vulnerable or homeless.