Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The housing situation has become particularly acute in the Dublin area in the past 18 months. In previous years, those who experienced the greatest difficulties in finding accommodation would mainly have been single or separated people or those with addiction problems. In my constituency - I believe this to be the position across the entire greater Dublin area - there has been a noticeable increase in the number of families that were long-term renters, that can no longer afford to rent and that are being obliged to register as homeless and face up to all of the difficulties relating to the difficult position in which they find themselves. There is no question but that the rent allowance scheme is failing to meet the needs of those to whom I refer. Landlords are capitalising on a booming rental market by hiking up rents when leases come up for renewal. This is a common problem and my constituency office is dealing with those affected quite frequently. I am sure the position is similar for other Deputies who represent Dublin constituencies. Rent allowance has simply not kept pace with rent increases in recent times. There has always been a large cohort of landlords who have refused to accept rent supplement. In recent times, the size of that cohort has steadily increased.

Some long-term renters have never previously been in a position whereby they literally cannot find accommodation they can afford. Even if they eventually find something, it can lead to their being obliged to move to a completely different area and can have a devastating impact on family stability and school attendance. By failing to address this problem now, the Government is storing up huge social difficulties for the future. At the heart of the problem lies the issue of the supply of both private and public housing. It beggars belief that when we have such large numbers of unemployed people with construction skills, those in the councils and voluntary housing associations with planning and project expertise and such a huge shortage of social housing, the Government has found it impossible to arrive at a way of building more housing units which reflect the scale of the existing need.

It is also frustrating that some schemes which could deliver better supply have either been closed down or are not being developed further. One of these is the financial contribution scheme for older persons. This scheme used to operate very successfully in the Dublin City Council area. However, it is currently suspended. The scheme worked by allowing older people whose homes had become too large for their needs or perhaps too expensive to maintain to sell them to the council at a discounted price. In turn, they were accommodated in newly-built, good-quality sheltered housing units. This worked for both the council and tenants. It also worked very well for homeowners who wanted to sell and move to more secure and better-quality accommodation that was more suitable to their needs. It also increased the supply of social housing, allowed young families to be accommodated and assisted in achieving greater population density and diversity of housing, without the need to built vast new housing estates or the type of apartment developments which are often problematic. The scheme gave rise to a win-win situation for everyone involved. It was the lynch-pin of the housing strategy in my part of the city for many years and it worked very well. Older people who were living in insecure accommodation which needed to be upgraded by means of the provision of downstairs bathrooms etc., were able to move into good-quality sheltered housing. The scheme met their needs and helped to free up housing units for families on the waiting list. As a result of the fact that the housing which became available was dotted throughout communities, the scheme was also successful in creating the type of diversity to which we refer as being so important.

There is no reason why the scheme could not be re-established and the Minister of State should work closely with the HSE to ensure that this happens. There is also no reason why a similar scheme could not be put in place in the private sector, particularly as there is an undoubted demand for it. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government could do a great deal in terms of encouraging local authorities to designate areas that would be specifically intended for the use of older people who want to live in accommodation that is smaller, easier to maintain and more secure. In turn, this would help to free up more private sector houses.

The other issue that arises relates to apartment dwelling. There are very few parents who would desire to see their children growing up in an apartment as a result of all of the shortcomings of such accommodation, including size, type and design. Children can be raised in apartment complexes in other countries but this is because the accommodation in which they live is of a decent size and is suitable to the needs of families. In addition, recreational and storage areas are provided. It is time the Minister of State put down a clear marker in the context of improving the standards relating to and increasing the size of apartments in order to ensure that apartment dwelling might become acceptable for families and might suit their needs. It will not be possible to deal with the housing problem in Dublin without apartments forming part of the solution. As matters stand and in view of the very low specifications which apply, apartment dwelling is simply not acceptable to people.

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