The Sinn Féin party has slammed the government’s recent proposal to build modular housing units for the homeless, saying that the money would better spent refurnishing empty social housing units.
The party’s announcement comes a recent report found that there are currently 3,000 unoccupied local authority housing units. Sinn Fein say that the money currently allocated for the new prefabricated homes would be better spent on refurbishing the unallocated homes because it would make homes available than the government plan to build. It is understood it would cost in the region of €100,000 to build each new modular home.
However Sinn Féin argue that it would only cost around €18,000 to refurbish each vacant housing unit. A spokesperson for the party, TD Dessie Ellis, has said that these empty properties need to be put to use. Mr Ellis told reporters: “I think we care an awful lot about location, but these three units are generally in Local Authority areas right across the city, and in other Local Authorities, whether it’s Limerick or Cork.” “I think these need to be got, put into use, I don’t buy this argument about the areas they’re in. I think people are only too willing to take up these places.”