I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together.
Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or 9.9% on the last assessment in June 2019.
Below is the link to the summary report for 2020 which includes breakdowns by each local authority across a range of categories.
Tables 2.4 and A1.4 of the report provide details on household size. It should be noted that the category “Household Composition” in the previous reports, was replaced in the 2019 report by the “Household Size” profile category which provides more granular level of detail regarding the number of persons in each household type.
Tables 2.7 and A1.7 provide details on the breakdown of the current tenure, including those in emergency accommodation/none.
The key figure reported in the SSHA is referred to as ‘net need’. Net need is the total number of households qualified for social housing support whose need for support is not being met. This total excludes the following households:
- Duplicate applications – Where a household has applied to more than one authority for social housing support, only their first application was included in the count.
- Those in receipt of social housing support —for example, households currently living in local authority rented accommodation, approved housing body accommodation, accommodation provided under the HAP scheme, accommodation provided under the RAS, or accommodation provided under the SHCEP schemes.
- Households on a transfer list —any household that has applied for a transfer from an existing form of social housing support including HAP.
It should be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists.
2020 Report
www.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2020-key-findings/#:~:text=The%20Summary%20of%20Social%20Housing,is%20not%20currently%20being%20met.
