There are 4,000 vacant local authority homes in Ireland—enough to house all 15,600 people currently homeless, according to claims by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, reports The Mirror.
This information was revealed following a freedom of information request.
Tóibín criticised local councils and the State for being too slow to return these homes to use, reports The Mirror.
The Meath West TD stated that if those vacant homes were made available, they could accommodate the entire homeless population. He said it currently takes about eight months to refurbish council houses, compared to less than two months for private rentals.
He accused the State of being “extremely slow and cumbersome” in getting families into these homes, reports The Mirror.
He added: “All I am saying is that we need to match urgency within the Department to the level of crisis that exists in the real world for very many people. We need the State to go through the system, make sure it is done properly. and carefully, and protect taxpayers’ money. For people living in hotel accommodation or emergency hubs, life is urgent. They need to get out of these hubs and into a home, have their own front door, have the protection of their own home and be able to get on with their lives. Having vacant properties in a housing crisis is akin to exporting food in the middle of a famine and is absolutely wrong,” reports The Mirror.
Minister for the Office of Public Works Kevin “Boxer” Moran said some vacant houses are in remote rural areas, where it’s harder to find tenants than in urban locations. Over the past decade, the OPW has sold 171 properties for a total of €35 million, reports The Mirror.
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