THE publication last week of the Government’s affordable housing target shows that Limerick is to get an average of just 53 affordable purchase homes a year, totalling just 264 houses over the next five years.
Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan believes that the target shows that Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is not serious about tackling the affordable housing crisis.
“The information Sinn Féin received on the government’s affordable housing target up to 2026 is truly depressing. Despite the Minister for Housing’s rhetoric about believing in home ownership, between now and 2026 he is only funding a tiny amount of genuinely affordable homes to purchase across our city and county,” Senator Gavan said.
“Limerick is to get an average of just 53 affordable purchase homes a year, totalling just 264 houses over the next five years. When you consider the extent of the housing crisis in Limerick where thousands of people are trapped in a rental market where a three-bed semi can cost €1400 a month or more, and where thousands more adult children are still living with their parents, this target is pathetic.”
“We need at least 4,000 affordable purchase homes a year across the state. In Limerick we need a multiple of that annual target of 53 affordable homes. The best way to deliver these homes is through Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.”
