People on Clare County Council’s housing waiting list are not asking for perfection – they are asking for a front door they can call their own.
That’s according to Aontú representative for Clare, June Dillon, who has called on Clare County Council to dramatically speed up the refurbishment of its vacant housing stock, arguing that unnecessary bureaucracy is prolonging the housing crisis for thousands of local people.
Clare County Council has 257 people on their waiting list over 7 years for housing with the national average re-let time for a social house by a local authority being approximately 35 weeks.
June Dillon said: “Every boarded-up council house is more than an empty building. It is a home that could shelter a family, give a child stability, or offer an older person security. At a time of unprecedented housing need, leaving homes vacant for months on end simply cannot become normal.”
She continued: “Of course every tenant deserves a safe, warm and energy-efficient home. But we must also ask whether every delay and every item of work is genuinely essential before a family is handed the keys. When thousands of people are waiting, common sense must prevail over unnecessary bureaucracy.”
Ms Dillon said many applicants would gladly undertake straightforward cosmetic improvements themselves if it meant moving into a home sooner.
“People do not expect a showhouse. They expect a safe, clean and habitable home. Many would be delighted to paint a room or carry out minor decorative work themselves rather than remain trapped for months or years on a waiting list. We should stop allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the possible.”
She also questioned whether some requirements have become overly rigid.
“There is a world of difference between essential safety works and bureaucratic box-ticking. If a property is structurally sound, safe, warm and fit to live in, the priority should be getting people through the front door, not leaving homes sitting empty while paperwork and minor works drag on.”
Concluding, Ms Dillon said the housing crisis demands a different mindset.
“The greatest injustice is not a wall that could do with a fresh coat of paint. The greatest injustice is a child growing up without the security of a permanent home while perfectly usable council houses remain boarded up. Empty houses solve nobody’s housing crisis. Homes only become homes when families are living in them. It is time to move people into houses, not leave houses waiting for perfection.”