This article is from page 23 of the 2011-10-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
THERE are 551 people on the waiting list for housing in Shannon, 200 of who are in receipt of rent supplement. The figures have led to the problem being described as “epidemic”.
More than half of those waiting are single adults (261 of those on the list are categorised as ‘one adult’). 73 of the applicants are one adult and one child; 31 are one adult and two children; 12 are one adult and three children, while one applicant has four children and another has five dependents.
The figures show that 44 of those on the waiting list are couples without children, while 107 have children – ranging from one child to six children. The remaining applicants consist of three or four adults.
Those were the figures delivered to Shannon Town councillors at their monthly meeting last week, in response to a query from Sinn Féin Councillor Cathy McCafferty.
The meeting was told that of the 551 applicants on the list, 468 have been approved for housing for more than one year, while 378 have been approved and are waiting for more than two years.
Councillors heard that Clare County Council has provided 12 properties in the town under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), while it has acquired one property through the Social Leasing Scheme.
“The estimate for 2012 is likely to reflect the result of the review currently underway. It is not possible to provide an estimate for 2013 and 2014,” stated Shannon Town Man- ager Bernadette Kinsella, in a reply to the motion.
“The council is not in any discussions with any voluntary housing association with a view to building in Shannon. A meeting with all voluntary housing groups operating in the county is planned for early in the new year,” she added.
In response, Cllr McCafferty said she realised “with horror” that “practically 25 per cent of the waiting list [in the county] is in this town alone”.
“There must be 40 or 50 people chasing the three or four that are available at the moment,” she said.
Referring to the length of time people are waiting to be housed, she asked, “When do you envisage that they will be housed? I’d like to see a more positive answer.”
Independent councillor Gerry Flynn said, “It is worrying. Housing problems in Shannon are at epidemic proportions… There is going to be no housing going into Shannon in the future.”
Independent councillor Patricia McCarthy said, “There is no doubt we have a serious housing problem in Shannon. We have a shortage of houses. We don’t want a situation where we are going back to three or more generations living together. That was the 50s, the 40s, the 30s.”
Ms Kinsella then told the meeting, “The figures reflect a high number on the list in Shannon. Shannon is the largest town in the county outside of Ennis.”
She said that a review is ongoing and a truer picture will be available by the end of the year.
“There will be a reduction because people have left,” she said.