€86 million investment in social housing will help tackle Kildare housing crisis – Durkan

Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Bernard Durkan, has said that the €86 million investment in social housing announced today by the Government will help bring an end to the Kildare housing crisis.

The funding is part of €1.5 billion package to be invested nationally by the Government in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes by local authorities. This investment is designed to accommodate 25% of those currently on the housing waiting lists in social housing.

“Today’s announcement to allocate over €86 million to address the housing situation in Kildare is a highly significant development for people on the housing list. This is the first major investment in local authority housing in Kildare for many years and will help tackle the housing crisis that has existed in the county for almost ten years.

“Housing is the number one priority for the Government. What we are announcing today is ambitious targets for each local authority right throughout the country for each local authority area. This will have a major impact for those on the housing waiting lists with a national reduction of 25% targeted over the period from these schemes alone. The recovering economy is allowing us to invest in vital public services such as housing and we are doing that.

“Today’s announcement shows the commitment of this government to tackle the issue of housing lists across the country.  The Social Housing Strategy is a key action under the Construction 2020 Strategy and I am pleased to see it being progressed so that priority housing projects can be delivered in the years 2015-2017.”