Written answer
Local Authorities
The Minister outlined the programme’s housing objectives but said dwelling sizes were unavailable; acquisition numbers and recouped costs were provided in an accompanying table.
367. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number and size of homes bought by each local authority in 2021 and the first two quarters of 2022; and the cost of these homes to each local authority; and to make a statement on the matter. [67147/26]
Comment on this
My Department’s Social Housing Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme is available to local authorities to support social housing qualified households in the most challenging and precarious housing situations, helping prevent them becoming homeless and supporting those in homelessness to exit into permanent housing.
In recent years, the programme has typically supported acquisitions to:
• exit households from emergency homeless accommodation into permanent housing;
• provide urgent responses for persons with a disability, older persons and care leavers;
• help sustain tenancies e.g. via tenant in situ purchases; and
• tackle vacancy via Buy and Renew.
The quantum of properties purchased by local authorities in 2021 and the first two quarters of 2022, and the total purchase cost recouped to them to date by the Department for those properties, is set out in the table. Data on the size of homes acquired by local authorities in the period have not been collated by my Department.
Units Returned