Council refits 106 ‘void homes’

FINGAL County Council has reduced the number of vacant social housing units by 106 this year.
At the end of last year, the number of vacant units stood at 130 in Fingal, but the council has brought 106 of these back into use using €970,000 in funding from the Department of Environment.
Work is under way on a further 11 dwellings and the remaining 13 are being examined by the county architect to assess what repairs are necessary before they can be re-let.
Cllr Kieran Dennison (FG) said that the Government provided €20m in funding to local authorities in order to speed up the turnaround of vacant houses.
He said that this was done in response to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, and commended the Government for the action.
He went on to congratulate the housing department of the council, saying it has made very good use of the funding provided.
“With more than 4,500 social housing units in the county, there will always be a number vacant as they are handed back to the council. These have to be boarded up while the council arranges to upgrade and refit them for letting again,” he said.
He added that this process has taken too long in the past but the council has reduced the turnaround time by 40%.
Cllr Justin Sinnott (Ind) welcomed the reduction and praised Fingal County Council for its efforts.
He said: “I really want to commend the council for prioritising reducing void dwellings. While it won’t solve the housing crisis, every void unit brought back to use will provide a home for a family.
“There are families who have been years on the housing list, and anything which tackles this has to be welcomed.”