According to a report in Monday’s Irish Independent, demand for social housing has increased by 94 per cent in Westmeath in the past year alone, causing an “unprecedented crisis” as waiting lists soar.
Westmeath is among the counties named as “worst-hit” in the investigation carried out by the newspaper.
However, senior executive officer with Westmeath’s housing section, Declan Leonard, says the figures are slightly misleading as they include those applying for rent supplements as well as those applying for council accommodation.
In addition, this year’s figures are being compared with March 2008, when several people had not yet re-applied for inclusion on the housing list, meaning the upsurge may not be as drastic as the report suggests.
“The figures are accurate, but the assessment was carried out in March 2008 when everyone on the council’s housing list had been asked to reapply by March 31 2008. There were 840 people on the list at this time but some people hadn’t reapplied. Applications started to drift in after this, and by the time all were in, the figure was closer to 1,100,” explained Mr Leonard.
“We are getting 50 to 60 applications a month. Many are from people who have lost their jobs, who were living in the private rented sector and are now looking for rent supplement. They may not be looking for a council house,” he added.
