Now we have to draw the line on refugees, Cllr Guckian tells Leitrim County Council

Cllr Des Guckian asked that the Housing Section in Leitrim County Council be requested to obtain government assistance “to obtain many more social houses to accommodate the ever increasing demand, and that the idea of Choice Based Letting be abandoned as, clearly, it is no longer useful.”
A report by the Director of Services, Housing and Community, Corporate Services, Cultural and Emergency Services, at the Council's monthly meeting on Monday,  stated that Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the overall supply of housing over the next decade and that all Local Authorities developed Housing Delivery Action Plans to include details of their proposed social and affordable housing delivery.
The plans set out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All.
Leitrim County Council’s Housing Delivery Plan has a target to deliver 139 units over the lifetime of the plan. The target to deliver 20 additional social housing units in 2022 was achieved and the 2023 target was exceeded to deliver (28) units (original target (26) units).
Other supports for applicant household(s) deemed qualified for and in need of social housing support include tenancies allocated under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (R.A.S) and the Social Housing Leasing Initiative (SHLI), support provided by the Housing Assistance Payments (H.A.P), the Mortgage to Rent Scheme (M.T.R), referral to the Housing Agency for the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ Scheme and the allocation of tenancies from casual vacancies where previously occupied Local Authority Dwellings become available for re-letting.
Nominations can also be made to the Approved Housing Bodies for any vacancies arising in their housing stock in Leitrim.
Cllr Guckian said one issue in his view is “we are under pressure from the national government to house a huge number of refugees,” adding that “our own people are in need of housing and must be catered for too.”
He said more than 1,900 refugees have been homed in Leitrim and now “we have to draw the line and refuse government orders to take more.”
He said that Leitrim was the “poorest county in Ireland with the lowest population” and said that Dublin is “well able to cater for far more than it has taken,” adding that in his view, “no more refugees should be forced on villages.”
Cllr Brendan Barry noted that premises that are used as Airbnbs are not being used all year around but “at least they are bringing money into the economy and being used” and said that he would not like them being stopped adding that they “are vital and needed so it's about balance.”
He continued, “If a building is vacant and people are sleeping in tents, we need to try and see it being used.”
He said the Croí Cónaithe scheme should be paid on “a phased basis” to increase its uptake and added that Leitrim County Council “needs to purchase more land to build houses” adding that he felt that more apartments need to be built.
Cllr Enda McGloin said that Croí Cónaithe has “done a huge amount in terms of bringing back to life a number of houses in both towns and rural areas that were derelict.”
Cllr Padraig Fallon said that Choice Based Letting Scheme is “working quite well.”
Cllr Mary Bohan said there is a definite need in Leitrim for housing and said that the county needs to get back to “building more housing ourselves and for that we need government assistance.”
She added that people seeking asylum and people that need housing are two separate issues and shouldn't be “confused.”
Cllr Enda Stenson said there is a “fair bit of land in Leitrim for building on at the moment but it's money that we need, to provide those houses.”
Both he and Cllr Bohan took the opportunity to praise Leitrim's housing department.  
Cllr Guckian said, however,  that you can't “divorce the need to cater for refugees and locals.”
He stressed, “Adequate resources are definitely needed and the Choice Based Letting  is not suitable for our conditions in my view.”
Cathaoirleach, Cllr Justin Warnock said the CBL “is the best thing we have at the moment and it should be kept” but added that in his view, “we don't have enough land in Kinlough or Tullaghan to build houses on.”  
He said the “squeezed middle” needs to be catered for; those who don't qualify for social housing but are unable to secure a mortgage.