Waterford families being ‘left in the complete dark’ as homelessness continues to rise

Waterford families are being “left in the complete dark” as homelessness continues to rise, a council meeting has heard.

Sinn Féin councillor Kate O’Mahoney discussed the subject at the November plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

Cllr O’Mahoney said: “I think it would be an injustice if I didn’t express my concern over the rising number of families and individuals in emergency accommodation.

“These figures don’t take into account those who are couch surfing, living in overcrowded accommodation or facing eviction.

“This is a systematic failure by the Government and the local authority must continue to do all we can to see people housed.”

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Cllr O’Mahony raised the issue of waiting times for the Choice-Based Letting (CBL) Scheme, which allows social housing applicants to bid for available properties online.

She stated: “I’ve had a number of people come to me who might have a high chance of being allocated a house but they’re left in limbo for weeks upon weeks after they’ve bid as they’re not told if they’re successful or not.

“I know a few of my colleagues have raised this issue before but we’re seeing families left in the complete dark while they’ve been allocated after years of waiting.”

Cllr O’Mahoney went on to outline the stress and anxiety this is causing families, especially parents who must sort school places for their children.

“Families have to sort out schools. I had one family in particular, who have to sort out a secondary school, a mainstream primary school and an ASD class with children, as well as transport and work arrangements.

“This is detrimental to the amount of overall stress and anxiety placed on these parents and families to wait if they’re successful or not.”

“So I'm just asking if there’s any way the CBL system can keep applicants updated of what stage the application process is in for a given property, and if they are unsuccessful,” she concluded.

In response to Cllr O’Mahoney, Director of Services Seamus De Faoite said that an application process must be followed to ensure everyone is given a fair opportunity to be housed.

He stated: “What we want to do is to ensure that we have a process that we can work through, that applicants are given a fair opportunity to apply for housing stock and following the application, that there is a due assessment done.

“As part of that process then, there is also a Garda check. I suppose most of the checks are internal but there is a Garda check and it’s out of our control.

“So it depends on what part of the county [you’re in]. You’re probably looking at a short number of weeks compared to a couple of months.”

However, Mr De Faoite agreed with the Sinn Féin councillor’s view on keeping applicants up to date.

“I would agree with your sentiment around the point of trying to keep the applicant informed and what I want to do is to work with the IT system to see that the person can get as much information as they possibly can online.

“That allows the staff to do their job correctly and properly and to save time. What we don’t want is people ringing up every second day,” he concluded.

The Choice Based Letting (CBL) process is a system introduced in 2016 which allows approved housing applicants to express interest in social housing properties advertised online.

To participate, applicants must be on a local authority's housing list, receive a username and PIN, and log in to view and express interest in properties that meet their needs.

Offers are then made based on eligibility and the local authority's allocation scheme, which includes checks on eligibility, Garda clearance, and estate management.