THOUSANDS OF people are waiting for social housing in Kerry in what has been described as “a housing crisis” in the county. The economic downturn has seen the highest number of qualified households to date on council lists.
Not a single rural cottage is to be built by the council in Kerry this year, and there is to be no return to large housebuilding schemes, according to a council report circulated to members.
The figure of 4,258 “qualified households” on the housing list includes the county’s three main urban centres of Killarney, Tralee and Listowel.
Households can mean whole families, which means well over 10,000 people have qualified, according to the council.
Almost 1,000 people are waiting for a house in Killarney alone. A recent meeting in the town heard no house was available there. The majority of the more than 4,000 qualified households are renting privately, and are in receipt of rent supplement through the community welfare service.
Cllr Michael Cahill who requested the information said: “There is a housing crisis. Allocations have dried up.”
He told housing officers one family who contacted him were waiting for a house for seven years.