OVER 4,000 APPLICANTS for social housing have been waiting over a decade for a new home, new figures have revealed.

The latest statistics, obtained by TheJournal.ie,make for grim reading in Dublin and there is no obvious solution to the problem, according to national housing charity Threshold.

The latest figures also reveal;

• There are 998 families in total in emergency accommodation
• 10,291 applicants have been waiting between 5 and 10 years
• Just under 4,000 people living with disabilities are on the list
• There are 3,950 unique individuals currently on the homeless list
• 4,212 applicants have been waiting over 10 years

Stephen Large of national housing charity Threshold told TheJournal.ie how there is seemingly no end in sight to the crisis.

He said: “It’s been a growing issue, year on year. There’s a build up and an increasing amount of people applying for homes.

No quick fix

“Looking at social housing, homelessness et cetera, unfortunately we’re in a crisis. We’re trying to respond to it but there is no quick fix solution. It’s been well-documented that over the past couple of years, there’s been an unprecedented number of families presenting for the first time at homeless services.”

However, Large warned that the Government should not act hastily and throw up homes without thinking things through.

He added: “We need to avoid building another place just for the sake of it.

“If we suddenly build 10,000 units and plant them on the outskirts of Dublin, that’s not a solution. It’s much more complicated than providing bricks and mortars.

“What’s the point in building a vast housing estate and there’s no bus service or shops or no schools and then you have various social issues which arose after all that?

“You need to learn from past mistakes.”

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