Reduction of 737 on local social housing list since 2016

Glenconnor Housing Scheme, Clonmel. Photo courtesy of Liam Ryan, Architect.

The number of households on the social housing waiting lists in Tipperary has gone down by 40% in the past five years.

The number of households on the list in the Premier County has fallen by 737, compared to 2016.

Tipperary’s figure is 5% better than the national figure for the same time period.

Figures from last year show that 1,121 houses in Tipperary needed social housing support – down 11% from the year before.

This figure is down 138 from 1,259 households recorded on 2 November 2020.

Looking to the national picture, 59,247 households qualified for social housing support last year, down 4.3% from the year before.

This represents a national reduction of 35% since 2016.

This figure is down 2,633 (4.3%) from 61,880 households on 2 November 2020.

Across the country, 4,010 social houses were delivered in the last quarter of 2021, while there was a 17% increase in the amount of social housing units delivered in 2021, compared to 2020.

The figure of 4,010 social homes includes 2,053 new build social homes, 810 acquisitions and 1,147 homes delivered through leasing programmes.

Overall in 2021, a total of 9,183 new social homes were delivered. This total includes 5,202 new build homes (an increase of 2.6% on 2020), 1,270 acquisitions and 2,711 homes delivered through leasing programmes.

The Minister welcomed the publication of the data, noting that for a fifth consecutive year the overall number of households on local authority waiting lists continued to decrease. He also welcomed the fact that 9,183 social housing solutions were found for people despite the significant impact which the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent construction sector shutdowns had on efforts.

Commenting on the figures, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said;

“These results are evidence that Government investment in social housing supports is working for Tipperary.

“Nationally, over 23,300 households had their housing needs met in 2021 – this is despite the very significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on delivery. It’s important to remember that most residential construction was halted for a 13-week period from January to April.

“We must not, and will not, lose sight of the fact that there are still just over 1,100 households in Tipperary who are relying on us for the provision of housing support.

“Housing for All, which was launched six months ago, sets us on a pathway to delivering 90,000 new social homes between now and the end of 2030. This year we will be investing more than €4bn to deliver 11,820 new social homes in 2022, including 9,000 new build social homes.

“As with all Departments, we are watching the situation in Ukraine closely. The Russian invasion is having significant impacts on all sectors of society and our goal is to provide shelter and accommodation for those fleeing war while protecting to the greatest extent possible, Housing for All delivery at its existing pace.

“The strong pipeline of home building activity is encouraging. New figures show that in the past twelve months (March 2021 to February 2022), Commencement Notices for the construction of 33,006 new homes were received.

“This is the highest rolling 12-month total since comparable data was first published.

“Specifically related to social housing, the Construction Status Report for Quarter 4 2021, showed that there were 8,749 social homes onsite at the end of December, with a further 10,455 homes at various stages of design and procurement. Supporting local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to increase housing construction is a priority for my Department.”