People in Ardee left 'looking at blank screen' in wait for social housing

Hopeful social housing applicants have been left "waiting and looking at blank screens" due to the shortage of homes available through Choice-Based-Letting (CBL) in Ardee. 

The comments were made by Fine Gael councillor Rachel Kerley at the April meeting of the Ardee Municipal District. 

Choice-based-letting allows approved social housing applicants to view and bid on properties.

Councillors raised concerns about the lack of units being made available on CBL.

Sinn Féin councillor Pearse McGeough said people are having their "lives suspended" due to the shortage and called on Louth County Council to take a "scheduled approach" to the issue. 

"There’s a long waiting list in the Ardee area, people are waiting up on a Monday night to find out if there’s something on CBL.

I think we need to do business better. We need to have a scheduled approach to this. Where the councillors are aware of what houses are coming on stream so we can assist our constituents with any problems they have," he said. 

Declan Grimes, Senior Engineer with Louth County Council said the lack of void properties in the Ardee area is a contributing factor to the shortage. 

"Unfortunately we can only put properties on CBL where they are available. If you look at the number of voids in the Ardee MD we’ve only six voids, which is a low number.

That shows that people are staying in their houses and not abandoning them or looking for transfers so that’s quite positive news. So if there is no vacant houses or voids we’ve nothing to put up on CBL. It’s only when we’re buying second-hand acquisitions and they’re generally for the homeless tenant-in-situ or for disabilities," he said.

However, Mr Grimes confirmed there will be six homes available on CBL in Potter's Field in Ardee on "either the 13th or 20th of April", as well as a further seven properties in the Bridgegate development which are expected to be delivered in June or July. 

Mr Grimes also confirmed that a development in Dunleer, which is expected to be completed in November will have 60% of its properties (70) available on CBL. 

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Independent councillor Jim Tenanty questioned the 60% allocation and described it as "unfair" and said there is "lot of people are saying they’re homeless and they’re not". 

"They get priority over people that genuinely need a house. I feel very disappointed that 60% of the total is all that’s going to be allocated for CBL," he said. 

Mr Grimes said allocations are agreed at Strategic Policy Committees (SPC) and include 60% for CBL, 10% for homeless accommodation and a further 10% for people with disabilities. 

However, he said 100% of properties in both Potter's Field and Bridgegate developments will be available on CBL. 

Mr Grimes said the full allocation is allowed at the "discretion of the director" in areas where there is a limited number of houses. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.