1,300 currently on housing waiting list in Navan

There is a total of 1,302 applicants on the housing list in Navan, including 487 people who are availing of HAP accommodation, according to figures from Meath County Council.

One bedroom homes are by far the most required by those on the list with 682 applicants, 205 of whom are availing of HAP. There are 433 people seeking two bedroom units, 221 of whom are in HAP housing and there are 139 applicants for three bedroom homes, 47 of whom are on HAP.

A total of 47 applicants are on the four bedroom list, 14 of whom are on HAP and there is just one applicant for a five bedroom home.

HAP is a scheme where the local authority pays the tenant’s rent directly to their landlord and they pay a weekly HAP rent contribution to the local authority, based on income and ability to pay.

The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Eddie Fennessy who had requested the figures from the council said in percentage terms, there didn’t seem to have been much change since he sought figures for social housing waiting lists in Navan, last October.

“The one bed list is still the worst of them all with a rise from 49 per cent to 52 per cent of the entire list. And what might seem like a small jump in percentage terms makes for worrying reading when you look at the actual figures. There’s been an increase of 179 applicants in just over seven months.

“The only drop in the figures since October, was on the four bed list which is down from 51 to 47 applicants. The two and three bed lists both recorded moderate increases to 433 and 139 respectively. Both of those lists are being managed by the council and I expect them to drop over the next eighteen months when supply begins to kick in on a number of projects around the town.

“What really took me by surprise was the low number of applicants availing of HAP in Navan. The total number of households on the housing list in the town is 1,302. Only 487 or 37.5 per cent of those households are using HAP to help pay for accommodation, I expected that figure to be much higher.

“When you drill down into the percentages of the HAP figures, it gives a pretty good representation of where we’re at in terms of housing demand. With the lowest being one and four bed applicants followed closely by the three and two bed applicants.

“At 52 per cent, the biggest demand in terms of delivery, is for one bed properties. It is the most difficult list of them all for a number of reasons. A one bed HAP rate doesn’t provide the resources to rent a property in today’s market. More and more one bed applicants are pensioners or older people who can’t afford accommodation. The focus going forward needs to be on one bed delivery or we’ll have an even bigger homelessness problem to deal with.”