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| Finglas - Cabra Candidates Brendan Carr, Cllr John Redmond with John Lyons TD in Finglas |
Along with Finglas-Cabra local election candidates Brendan Carr and Cllr John Redmond, I warmly welcomed the funding announcement of €3.2 million to bring 135 long-term vacant Dublin City Council homes back up to scratch and made available to families on the housing list.
Finglas Cllr John Redmond congratulated Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan on this positive scheme for the Finglas area.
"I’ve lived in Finglas for 41 years with my family and boarded up houses have caused many issues for the local community over the years.
I know from my work with several residents associations that empty Council homes attract anti-social behaviour, especially when they’re left empty for months on end.
I worked to get the Choice Based Lettings scheme off the ground several years ago. This was a pilot in the Finglas area which offered empty homes in low-demand areas to people waiting on the housing list. It has made a big difference to local estates which previously had long-term vacant homes.
Today’s announcement will mean 135 long-term vacant houses will be brought into the housing stock very soon, which will be a great relief to neighbours beside these homes, as well as families who are on the housing list.”
I also stressed the benefits for Dublin and the country as a whole.
"As someone who meets people on the housing list every week, I know how frustrating boarded up houses are when you’re waiting to be housed. Some of those houses stay that way for months which has a knock on to the whole estate.
Overall Labour Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan is allocating €15m to make 932 local authority homes around the country available to families on the housing list. This is much needed for anyone in the area waiting on a housing list.
We need to invest more in social housing to tackle the huge problems at the moment. My Labour colleagues and I will continue to push for more investment in social housing, as well as practical schemes like the one announced today."
