Over 70 vacant social homes returned to use in Westmeath and Roscommon

Westmeath County Council brought 46 vacant social homes back into active use in 2022, while Roscommon County Council restored 27 vacant social homes.

That's according to figures released by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage which operates the Void Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant homes for re-letting.

Nationally in 2022, 2,307 vacant social homes were brought back into active use in 2022 under the Voids Programme.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said: “Apart from the obvious advantages of meeting demand for social housing, the return of these vacant homes has a positive impact on communities and avoids vacant homes becoming run down and derelict in some instances and the source of anti-social behaviour.

“It’s important to note and welcome the fact that nationally the number of vacant social homes requiring pre-letting works was lower in 2022 than in 2021 or 2020. This clearly shows that our plan is working. In 2020 and 2021 we spent more than €88 million bringing 6,032 vacant social homes back into use, and evidently, we are reducing the number of voids in need of refurbishment works following those two intense years of tackling vacancy.

“We are now progressively shifting to a position of planned maintenance of social housing stock to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for social housing stock.”

In 2022, local authorities recouped almost €29 million in funding for stock improvement programmes for the refurbishment of vacant local authority-owned social housing. Of the €28.9 million, €3.6 million supported the transition to planned maintenance and included funding towards stock condition surveys.

In Westmeath some €506,000 was recoupled from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the Voids Programme in 2022, while there was €297,000 drawn down in Roscommon.