Senator Mary Moran

Senator Mary Moran

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Need for greater social housing investment in Louth


I welcome the announcement today that Louth will be allocated €76,000 for the refurbishment of vacant social housing by Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O'Sullivan TD.

The announcement today comes when affordable social housing is very much in demand.While any investment in social housing is welcome, unfortunately the number of people seeking social housing in Louth remains extremely high. I am pleased that this funding will benefit some people who are seeking social housing. However I have asked Minister O Sullivan to ensure that housing for people with a disability also remains a priority as I believe the number of people in our area with a disability who are awaiting suitable housing remains a problem.

In some cases empty houses in housing estates have been vandalised when abandoned and can depreciate the value of the surrounding houses. The refurbishment of vacant homes in Louth will create jobs in the construction sector for people who are unemployed. The positive psychological impact of having a job is equally as beneficial as the financial benefit to the long-term unemployed in our community. With economic growth recorded by the ESRI recently, we still need further investment in social housing and for the needs of the people of Louth to be met, for the economic and social recovery of this country. This includes reaching out and supporting people who are long-term unemployed.

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