KCC To Considering Reforming Social Housing Waiting List To Account For Relationship Breakdown.

Thursday, 3 June 2021 07:20

There are currently over 3,500 applicants on the housing waiting.

Kildare County Council is to consider eform of its social housing waiting list to account for the breakdown of relationships.

At present, should a couple join the housing waiting list together, and their relationship end before the allocation of the home, it may be the case that one or both will have to re-join the list, individually.

There are currently over 3,500 applicants on the housing waiting list in the county and applicants may spend 10 years awaiting the allocation of a home.

Sinn Fein Cllr., Noel Connolly, submitted the motion before the May meeting of the local authority, for debate.

He asked KCC to "immediately adapt its housing allocation policy to allow credit for time spent by a person on the housing list and within a tenancy, where in the event of relationship breakdown, they have had to resign their interest in a tenancy."

Kildare County Council says "This matter was discussed at a recent meeting of the Housing Strategic Policy Committee and it was agreed to include it on the agenda for further discussion at the next meeting in September. Any changes to the existing Allocation Scheme for Social Housing will be considered by the SPC before being brought to the elected members at a plenary council meeting for consideration.
It is worth noting that there is provision in the current allocations scheme whereby applicants for social housing can be afforded priority on the housing list if they are rendered homeless through no fault of their own and, while this will not result in applicants getting years back for duration of tenancy, it will nonetheless afford them priority on the housing list."