Tipperary social housing waiting list dropped 40% in five years according to the Department of Housing

This week, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said the waiting list for social housing in Tipperary had been reduced by 40% in the past five years. 

According to figures provided by the department, 1,858 people were on the social housing waiting list in 2016 when the first Summary of Social Housing Assessment (SSHA) was done. 

The department this week released the 2021 report, which revealed 1,121 people on the list as of the end of 2021. 

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien, welcomed the figure but said more needed to be done.

"We must not, and will not, lose sight of the fact that there are still just over 1,100 households in Tipperary who are relying on us for the provision of housing support. Housing for All, which was launched six months ago, sets us on a pathway to delivering 90,000 new social homes between now and the end of 2030. 

"This year, we will be investing more than €4bn to deliver 11,820 new social homes in 2022, including 9,000 new build social homes, said Minister O'Brien.

The Summary Social Housing Assessment

The SSHA measures the number of households who are not currently getting their housing needs met (net need). 

This excludes deplicates, people on HAP, RAS and in social housing, as well as those who have applied for transfers to different areas. 

The 2021 report published this week showed an 11% decrease in those households in Tipperary compared to 2020. 

In 2020, 1,259 households were on the list, and by 2021 this number had reduced to 1,121 in Tipperary. 

Tipperary

One adult household made up the majority of people in Tipperary on the waiting list. 

The 30-39 followed by those aged 40-49 made up the largest age group. 

Those 70 years or older made up the lowest. 

Those reliant solely on social welfare were the largest group by income.

However, the lowest group were those in employment and supported by social welfare. 

The most common reason for being on the list was unsuitable accommodation- household circumstances. 

Most were in private rented accommodation with or without rent supplement, followed by those living with parents. 

Nationally

Nationally, social housing waiting lists dropped by 4.3%.

Irish citizens were the largest group by nationality, with 46,306 households.

The Department of Housing, Local Authority and Heritage also released figures that say 9,183 new social homes were delivered in 2021, an increase of 17% on 2020 figures. 

This total includes 5,202 new build homes (an increase of 2.6% in 2020), 1,270 acquisitions and 2,711 homes delivered through leasing programmes.

Minister O'Brien said that these results are evidence that the government's investment in social housing is working. 

"These results are evidence that Government investment in social housing supports is working for Tipperary. Nationally, over 23,300 households had their housing needs met in 2021 – this is despite the very significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on delivery. It's important to remember that most residential construction was halted for a 13-week period from January to April," said Minister O'Brien. 

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