Social housing in south Dublin Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie Social housing in south Dublin Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE suspended more than 350 applicants for social housing from their waiting lists for refusing more than one offer of a home in the past three years.
Under current rules, applicants who refuse an offer of social housing more than once in a twelve-month period are suspended from their local authority’s waiting list for a year. However, he also says there are many cases where people turn down homes that are also unsuitable to their needs, such as properties in locations without bus routes when they have no means of transport, or areas with few facilities such as schools or shops.
Donegal County Council saw the highest number of applicants turn down an offer more than once, with 129 multiple refusals from 61 applicants since 2016. Six local authorities – Clare County Council, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, Galway County Council, Laois County Council – had no data on multiple refusals or suspensions during the period requested.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Housing said the changes had been considered in consultation with local authorities, and would form a wider reform of social housing.