There are 3,500 people on the housing waiting list in Tipperary according to the County Council.
The local authority has issued figures in a response to concerns raised about the county’s housing stock in light of the ongoing Refugee Resettlement Programme.
The first 13 of 45 refugee families have moved into houses as part of a local resettlement across four Tipperary towns.
Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District Seamie Morris is supportive of the programme, but has said it places serious pressure on local authority housing stock, and that supply needs to built in line with the allocation to refugees.
Director of Housing at Tipperary County Council, Sinéad Carr, says that the Council has housing stock of just over 5,100 units at the moment, and that less than one percent of it is assigned to refugees.
Of those 5,100 units, it’s understood that the vacancy rate stands at around 3-4 percent including long term voids.
Ms Carr says the Council has a target to deliver 625 new units between 2018 and 2021, and that the Council expects to exceed the target by around 40 percent.
Of the 3,500 people on the housing waiting list at the moment, the Council says that over 50 percent are already accommodated with some form of social housing supports.
