Council gets €400k to refurbish social housing
Westmeath County Council has been granted €400,300 to refurbish 31 social housing units which will be re-let to individuals struggling with homelessness or on a housing list
As part of the July Stimulus Programme, the Government announced over €40m for the refurbishment of voids, the largest single amount ever announced under the voids programme.
Fine Gael TD Peter Burke said there has been a fantastic response from local authorities to the 2020 Voids Stimulus Programme.
“Nationally 2,398 applications from Local Authorities across Ireland have been approved at a cost of €39.8 million, with further applications anticipated.
“I am delighted that Westmeath County Council will be allocated funding of €400,300 to refurbish and re-let 31 social housing units, which will help individuals and families who are struggling with homelessness or who are on the social housing list.
“The County Council made applications which were categorised into three funding streams; standard voids at an average cost of approximately €11,500, homeless voids at an average cost of €17,300 and long-term voids at an average cost of €47,000.
“The Department is in a position to approve these applications and our local authority can now begin its work on making these vacant units available for individuals and families so they can start a new chapter in their lives and make a home for themselves.
“My department is helping local authorities and developers to plan and build better and more houses for people to live in, particularly during the current crisis.
“This includes providing social housing supports for people who cannot afford to provide a home for themselves and creating an environment that encourages builders to deliver houses for people who wish to buy their own home, Minister Burke said.
“I continue to work alongside the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien to ease housing constraints on families and individuals throughout our community,” Minister Burke added.