EVERY time the local authority carry out a Housing Needs Assessment huge numbers of people lose their place on the housing waiting list by not notifying the Council of a change of address or in their personal circumstances.
EVERY time the local authority carry out a Housing Needs Assessment huge numbers of people lose their place on the housing waiting list by not notifying the Council of a change of address or in their personal circumstances.That’s the view of Limerick Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan, who maintains that many people never receive the forms and are subsequently removed from the housing list.
“The fact that the Limerick Council’s housing list has fallen by more than 1,000 people in two months is simply not credible. No doubt we are witnessing the same problems that occurred three years ago when Housing Needs Assessment forms were sent out and more than 1,500 people found themselves taken off the list,” he claimed.
|The very real possibility is that they may not have received the letter about this year’s assessment and have lost their place on the list as a result.”
Deputy Quinlivan believes that although the process was carried out in a much more efficient way this year, there was still a huge problem.
“There is simply no way that almost a quarter of those looking for a council house have had their housing needs met. What we do know for certain is that more than 1,000 people were not housed in September and October as the council only made 27 allocations in those two months.
“I would urge the Council to send the letters out again or contact those who failed to respond as they have a duty of care to these people who filled in forms and got the information they needed to be on the list but are now removed from it,” he concluded.
A Council spokesman said that the latest audit is to reassesses applicants on the housing waiting list to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information on the current social housing needs and allow for future strategic planning.
“The Council wrote to all applicants on the housing list last July providing detailed instructions on completing the form and enclosing a freepost envelope to facilitate reply by the deadline of August 12. A further written reminder was issued on August 5.
“Details of the assessment process were published in local newspapers and radio, on the www.limerick.ie website and other social media platforms. Applicants were contacted by telephone where a number was provided. All local elected members were consulted and advised on the cut off dates.
“Following the assessment, around 24 per cent of applicants had their applications closed. This was due to a number of factors including income over threshold, failure to reply and those who no longer wished to be on the list.
“The housing waiting list fell from 4,426 in August to 3,658 in September, with a further reduction of 333 in October,” the spokesman concluded.
by Alan Jacques
