Council delivers less than half its 2022 social housing target so far

CORK County Council has saved 25 families, and 13 single people, from being made homeless by providing them with housing assistance payments in the period 2022 to date.

But it has only manged to meet less than half of its annual social housing target so far this year. The target for 2022 is 560 units – 207 of which have been delivered to date. It says it hopes a further 334 will be delivered in the next two months, representing a spend of almost €90m in 2022.

The director of housing, Maurice Manning, confirmed that the Council has provided 11 families, and 20 single people, with payments to exit emergency accommodation.

Four of these families, and six of the single people, facing homelessness were from West Cork, according to a breakdown of the Council’s housing report.

Six of the families, as well as 14 single people, who were able to exit emergency accommodation were also from West Cork.

Mr Manning said 436 new tenancies in receipt of the housing assistance payment (Hap) were set up this year.

Overall, he said there are 3,529 households in receipt of the payment and 1,130 are from West Cork.

Of the eight municipal districts in Cork County, the West Cork Municipal District has, at 819, the highest number of people in receipt of Hap.

People who do not receive Hap but are on a fixed incomes – such as pensions – have told The Southern Star they are being squeezed out of the rental sector.

Even those who are in receipt of Council assistance say the skyrocketing cost of rent has outpaced Hap and that they cannot afford to make up the shortfall.

But the housing director did have some good news to share at a recent meeting of the Western Division.

He said the Council has spent €57m on the construction and acquisition of social housing unit so far this year.

An additional €7.5m has been spent on extensions to social housing units, repurposing derelict housing, retrofitting and private house grants.

Mr Manning confirmed that the local authority delivered 1,585 housing units between 2018 and 2021. He said 295 housing units were provided in 2018; 433 in 2019; 466 in 2020 and 391 in 2021.

Now, under the government’s Housing for All programme, Cork County Council is being asked to meet a very ambitious target of 3,198 social houses for the period of 2022 to 2026.

The target for 2022, according to Mr Manning, is 560 units – 207 of which have been delivered to date.

A further 334 are expected to be delivered by the end of the year, all of which amounts to a total spend of almost €90m in 2022.

The building target for 2023 is 622 units, he added, while in 2024 the local authority hopes to provide another 636. 

In 2025, the Council is expected to build 683 houses in the county, with 697 being the target for the fifth and final year in the programme.

Commenting on existing construction projects, Mr Manning said there 107 at the design stage. In West Cork, this includes 12 at Greenmount Road in Ballydehob, 16 at Sleaveen East in Macroom, six in Bantry, and 33 in Crosshaven.

Mr Manning said 18 units are at the tendering stage, including eight units in Macroom and two in Rossmore.

Among the 97 houses under construction, or nearing completion, there are 18 houses in Dunmanway, 15 in Carrigaline, six in Bandon and 17 in Courtmacsherry.

The Council is also counting on turnkey developments, where the builder sells directly to the Council. So far, six units have been completed in Eyeries, four in Dunmanway and 17 at Abbeyfort in Kinsale.

Mr Manning said 34 new turnkey units at Caherdaniel are likely to be delivered in phases, plus 16 turnkey units in Castletownbere that have been given departmental approval, while 10 new units at Copper Point will be delivered in 2022.

Mr Manning confirmed that planning permission is being sought for a 34-unit turnkey development at Gortnaclohy in Skibbereen. Another income stream – the capital assistance scheme – is being used to provide 18 units by Cluid at the former convent in Bantry.

Under the same scheme, four units are being developed by the Skibbereen Geriatric Society at Mardyke Street in Skibbereen, six by the Bandon Geriatric and Community Council, 10 units at what was formerly Vickery’s Inn in Bantry, and 12 units at Ardmanagh in Schull.

During the discussion, the councillors were told that the number of units allocated under the Council’s choice based letting (CBL) system in West Cork in 2022 was 137, with 469 allocations throughout the county.

Since choice based letting was introduced, 673 allocations have been made in West Cork – with just 37 refusals, which is a refusal rate of 5%.

The figures show that 75% of the people on the Council’s housing list have logged on to the CBL service, leaving 391 yet to log on.

Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) said young people are finding it difficult to find affordable housing throughout West Cork, while Cllr Paul Hayes (Ind) highlighted a new anomaly.

‘People are being left behind,’ he said, ‘they can’t apply for a social house and they can’t apply for a mortgage.’

He said this leaves them trapped in a situation where they have no choice but to pay exorbitant rents.

‘What’s worse is when there is a breakdown in a relationship,’ he added, ‘because the person who leaves the family home has to show he or she doesn’t have a property in order to qualify.’ 

Cllr Hayes asked for the criteria to be changed to reflect this trend and make it easier for people who are separated, or blended families.

Meanwhile, Cllr Karen Coakley (FG) said the Council should consider providing serviced sites, as it has done in the past.