The Minister for Housing has been requested to address Laois County Council on how to address the ‘chronic housing shortage’ in the county.
This was following a motion by Labour Councillor Marie Tuohy that was seconded by Independent Councillor Caroline Dwane-Stanley.
Cllr Tuohy asked that Fianna Fail’s James Brown speak to the Council about ‘repeated failure to meet housing targets and to deal with the ongoing systemic impediments to providing new homes leading to the ongoing housing shortage and homelessness across the country’.
Cllr Tuohy said: “It’s not just about having a roof over your head, a safe haven and an address of your own, although these things too are extremely important.
“We’re losing frontline staff, nurses, doctors, doctors, teachers etc. We’re losing that whole generation really.
“But it’s about a chance to own your own home, a chance to start a family if you want to, building communities, committing to a career and investing in every possible way into the future.”
Cllr Tuohy said that the situation was no reflection of Laois County Council, who, she says, have done ‘brilliant work with limited resources’.
Cllr Tuohy said: “I want to take this opportunity to commend our CEO Michael Rainey, who in his previous role as Director of Services for Housing was dynamic and proactive, and has followed on in the same way.
“Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the government. It is safe to say that this government have gotten off to a shocking bad start, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the area of housing.
“They’re all over the shop, floundering and failing an entire generation, many of whom are stuck at home in their parents’ homes, well into their 30s, or else they’re hitting the road to Australia and elsewhere.
“No wonder we’re unable to recruit and retain our gardening teachers, nurses, doctors, as I’ve said. Lack of housing is the heart of these problems.”
Cllr Tuohy then spoke about the ‘absolute tragedy that is homelessness’.
She said: “This week showed it to be, at an all time historic high, 15,480 in emergency accommodation, 4,675 of them are children.
“The Minister for Housing is talking about the issue as if it was a new problem.
“This isn’t a new problem. Asking local authorities to zone more land, land needs to be serviced, water, sewage, skilled labour needs to be in place to build a home.
“There’s a whole area around any project that needs a foundation in place before any building can take place.
“Ten years ago, Leo Varadkar said the housing situation was a national emergency, and this government has been a continuous power for the last ten years.
“Airbnbs are not the problem, or a migrant walking down the canal with all their worldly belongings in a plastic bag are not the problem. The ESRI itself rubbished these suggestions in their report this week.
“The problem is systemic, the problem is getting worse, and the problem has festered over the years.
Cllr Tuohy put forward how she believes the problems relating to housing could be tackled.
She said: “The solution in my mind is to build more council houses, go back to what Labour and Fianna Fail governments did in the 60s, 70s and 80s when the country hadn’t a penny, and stop farming out responsibilities, stop looking for approved housing bodies or the private sector to do it.
“It’s a question of supply and demand. That’s why I want to invite the Minister for Housing, Deputy Browne to address the council, and I would like to hear directly from him what he plans to do other than appointing a housing czar.”
Supporting Cllr Tuohy, Independent Caroline Dwane-Stanley, said that limits on incomes in relation to qualifying for schemes are also not helping.
She said: “Like Cllr Tuohy said, this motion is nothing bad against Laois County Council as we are one county that are getting houses built.
“But for me, a lot of the problems are created by the income thresholds being too low.
“If you earn above €35,000, which is a modest wage, you are not eligible for most schemes.
“We can’t just build social units, you need affordable construction also.
“Take for example the new houses near Holy Family, they are going for €500,000 and the majority of people simply can’t afford that.”
