Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:85. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing applicants on local authority lists. [25714/20]
View answerWednesday, 23 September 2020
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Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The purpose of the SSHA is to capture the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country whose social housing need has not yet been met, in order to better inform policy and plan for the delivery of the right types of social housing support.The most recent summary, conducted in June 2019, shows that 68,693 households were assessed as qualified for, and being in need of, social housing support. This represents a decrease of 3,165 households or 4.4% on the last assessment in June 2018. Since 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 68,693, a reduction of 25%.
Below is the link to the summary report for 2019 which includes breakdowns by each local authority, across a range of categories.
Report 2019https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/sha_summary_2019_dec_2019_web_1.pdf .
While the SSHA is normally conducted in or around June, given the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on local authorities and nature of the work involved in conducting the SSHA, the SSHA for 2020 was deferred to allow local authorities to continue to focus their resources on immediate priorities. However, recognising that the SSHA is a very important part of the evidence base for housing policy at both local authority and national level, I have directed local authorities to carry out the SSHA 2020 in November 2020.