‘Gaming system’ not cause of housing crisis – it’s land prices and our lack of innovation
THERE seems little doubt that some people are ‘gaming the system’ by declaring themselves homeless to jump up the housing waiting lists, as enunciated by the outgoing head of the Housing Agency, Dr Conor Skehan.
‘Gaming the system’ is an Irish national pastime – but it should not detract from the fact that the Government has been woefully behind the curve when it comes to coming up with innovative solutions to tackle the shortage of homes, both private and public, that has become the major domestic political issue facing Leo Varadkar and his Government.
Dr Skehan contends that giving priority to “self-declared homelessness” in the allocations of social housing encourages some people to deliberately become “homeless” so they can surf the waiting list and even get a house ahead of more deserving cases.
There is nothing really new in this – I can recall a parody performed by The Dubliners back in the 1970s which went:
‘I went down to the tenancy section,
‘To the TD just before the election, He said he’d get me a house near me Ma.’
It just proves that the TDs are now no longer the conduit for getting a council house and so people are finding more innovative ways of beating the system.
The real housing crisis has also been masked by the focus on “rough sleepers” to be found lying at night in doorways, or in tents among the columns fronting the Four Courts in Dublin, to give an example. This is a socio-economic issue for other cities such as Cork, Limerick and Galway, one that is complicated by mental health problems, drugs and alcohol, and is by no means confined to Ireland. As anyone who travels in Britain and Europe will testify, it is a problem that is widespread internationally. Serious as this is, it should be separated from the problem of providing accommodation, particularly for families who either can no longer afford to own a home or even rent one.
In the main, homes need to be built for two groups:
Social housing for low-income and social welfare dependent families (and in some cases individuals) who cannot and will not be able to afford a house. This is the responsibility of local authorities, who had largely given up building social housing during the boom years, allowing developers to do the job for them.
Just as important is finding affordable homes for a new cohort of private sector workers and mid-ranking public servants such as nurses, gardaí and teachers, many earning reasonably good salaries of up to €50,000, who cannot and will not ever be able to afford homes of their own, particularly in Dublin as rising prices outstrip their potential income.
Housing has not been a priority for governments that sleep-walked into the crisis during the fiscal crash. But even when it did wake up, we’ve had a succession of housing ministers: Alan Kelly of Labour, Simon Coveney, and now Eoghan Murphy, who is staking his political reputation on solving the
Just as important is finding affordable homes for nurses, gardaí and teachers
present crisis. While this succession of short-term ministers has hardly inspired confidence, all have been well-meaning. But building the number of houses needed right now is not easy because major housing projects are a lumbering beast which require time, money and energy to see them through.
The idea of new urban sprawls like those built in Tallaght or Finglas in Dublin, and in other major cities, is no longer acceptable from planning and environmental points of view.
Suburban planning has been pushing people further and further outwards until there is no longer land and services to support these new estates. Maybe the time has come to look inwards in cities and towns, reclaiming the streets that empty out at 6pm. Bringing people back into the cities and towns could revitalise them and also free up some of the housing stock that is already there.
At the opening of the Cross-City Luas recently, Councillor Ciarán Cuffe pointed to the Broadstone bus depot and said there were 25 acres of land there, right on a tram line and near to schools, shops and services. It is just one example. But there are lots of such sites, many owned by State bodies, in inner city areas and just off Main Street in many of our towns, which are ripe for development.
IF land can be found at affordable prices, then affordable homes can be built for a whole section of people who otherwise have no prospect of owning a home. There could also be a role for pension and property funds which are looking for a place for billions of euro which is of no use on deposit because it is earning no interest, but could be harnessed to provide affordable housing for the new underclass of working people who want home of their own.
Employers, both domestic and those bringing foreign direct investment to Ireland, are telling the Government that the lack of accommodation for middle-income workers is becoming a real deterrent.
‘Gaming the system’ is one thing, it’s unfortunate for those who get by-passed as a result. But it’s not the real issue. Land prices, lack of supply and a lack of innovative thinking at official level are all contributing to a crisis that could define the success or failure of this Government.
Time is running out.