A local councillor has come up with a novel idea to address the growing housing list in the Kilkenny area.
Cllr Andrew McGuinness suggested that an agreement with NAMA on the use of vacant properties could help radically reduce social housing waiting lists and the soaring demand for rent allowance.
Cllr McGuinness suggested that the Government engage with NAMA on cost-effective ways to help people on rent allowance schemes and waiting lists for social housing.
“In Kilkenny, the housing list is at an all time high. We now have a senior Minister in the constituency who is responsible for this area and so we have never been in a better position to make a case,” he said.
“The need for local authority housing is at an all time high with families handing back houses due to mortgages they can no longer afford, people losing their jobs and not being able to afford to pay rent, and families simply in very bad financial circumstances,” he said.
“We need to look at more efficient ways to help these families. It seems obvious to me that with NAMA at the Government’s disposal, we should be setting up more social housing programmes. There is a real opportunity here, given that the latest figures from the National Housing Survey shows that there are currently 19,000 new and completed houses in this country that have never been lived in,” he said.
“We have thousands of people in need of homes, and thousands of houses just sitting there vacant. This simply does not make sense. There is an opportunity for NAMA to pay a social dividend if the Government leads the way,” he said.
“Minister Joan Burton, Minister of State Willie Penrose and Minister Phil Hogan should consider this possibility in the best interest of the people and I am urging them to do so ahead of December’s Budget, so that a more efficient system can be implemented next year,” concluded Cllr McGuinness.
