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Housing and Building

The Housing Section of Sligo County Council provides a number of very important services, covering every aspect of social housing:

• Assisting people who are in need of housing and who cannot afford it from their own resources.
• Provision and management of traveller accommodation.
• Liaison with approved Voluntary Housing Organisations and other agencies in the provision of accommodation.
• Encouragement of home ownership through the Shared Ownership Scheme, Tenant Purchase Scheme, Affordable Housing Scheme and various Loan options.
  

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION

The Social and Affordable Housing Action Plan 2004-2008, as agreed with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government in December 2004, sets targets for the Council to deliver a specified number of units per year across a range of housing options such as Social, Affordable, Voluntary and Part V Housing. This figure stands at 493 over the life time of the plan which averages at an estimate of 98 units per annum. This figure sets a challenge to the Council in terms of securing and procuring adequate land and negotiating with both developers and the Voluntary housing agencies.

The Housing Capital Allocation from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for 2007 was €11,300,000, which was made up as follows:

• Local Authority Housing Programme €11,000,000
• Remedial Works Schemes €300,000

The following schemes were completed in 2007:

Housing Schemes Completed in 2007

Housing Scheme	Number
Courthouse Drive, Grange	4
Coolaney	4
Carrigeens, Ballinfull	2
Culfadda, Ballymote	6
Camross, Ballymote	4
Mountain Road, Tubbercurry	10
Lisurlar, Riverstown	4
Ballintogher	10
Total	56

The Council has always had a policy of purchasing houses on the open market where the houses represent value for money and where a demand exists. However, in the current economic climate, it is not possible to source many houses on the open market which fall within the Department of the Environment and Local Government’s approved unit cost budget. However, 13 houses were purchased on the open market in 2007. In addition, work commenced on 7 rural houses during the year.

PART V

In recent years where house ownership has become more difficult for households to achieve, Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, has proved an invaluable source of affordable housing providing Sligo County Council with assistance in delivering the Housing Capital Programme.

The Housing Strategy states that 20% of eligible sites, which are the subject of new residential developments, is to be set aside for the development of social and affordable housing. There is a menu of options for compliance with this requirement but the policy of the Council is clear in that the preferred option of the Housing Authority is to take units or land which is available for a mix of Social and Affordable housing.

During 2007, a substantial number of properties became available for Affordable and Social Housing in the following developments:

• 10 number 3-Bedroom Houses in Highwood Park, Collooney
• 2 number 3-Bedroom Houses in Sandycove, Standhill
• 4 number 3 Bedroom Houses in Croi Na Greine and Gort Na Cladach, Enniscrone

All of the above were sold in the traditional fashion i.e. Sligo County Council initially acquired the completed properties form the developer and subsequently sold these properties on to suitably qualified applicants.

The following were dealt with through the new mechanism of “Direct Sales” whereby the approved applicant purchases the property directly from the developer:

• 10 number 3-Bedroom Houses in Hawthorns, Carrowroe
• 8 number 3-Bedroom Houses in Farranacardy

In Addition, the areas zoned for Part V now include:

• Ballymote
• Coolaney
• Dromore West

Sligo County Council has also reached agreements with a number of contractors who are currently constructing estates in these areas.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The Sligo Local Authorities have recently put in place a Procurement and Project Management Team. The aim of the team is to assist in the procurement of services and projects on behalf of Sligo Local Authorities and to oversee the project management of specific capital works in both Sligo County and City.

The team is currently involved in Housing PPP projects in Carney and Ballinode. The Carney Housing scheme is being piloted in the County as a PPP (Public Private Partnership) project and will see the development of 5.3 acres of County Council owned land into a mix of social, affordable and private housing together with some possible small scale commercial development and community facilities. Bidders have been short-listed and public consultation has taken place. It is anticipated that construction of the development will commence in June 2008.

HOUSING MAINTENANCE

Since the beginning of the Planned Maintenance Programme in 2002, much progress has been made in the general upkeep of Council housing stock. Works typically include replacement of worn out doors, windows, fascias and soffits. The emergency repair funds are used to carry out repairs to housing stock other than those repairs listed in planned maintenance and deemed eligible in accordance with the Tenant Hand Book. The Council spent a sum of €460,000 under planned maintenance and emergency repairs in 2007.

The Council allocated a sum of €30,000 in 2007 towards Environmental Improvements works, and Grangemore was successful in their tender for environmental improvements in various local authority estates which involved grass cutting and maintenance work carried out during the summer months.

The Council spent a sum of €100,000 on Environmental Enhancement works in 2007 to local authority estates under a programme running from 2007 to 2009. Works were carried out at Hillcrest Park, Strandhill, Hillview Drive, Ballymote, Castle Heights, Easkey, and Moyox, Cloonacool. Typical works undertaken as part of the scheme include landscaping, painting, provision of garden furniture, rehabitation and cleaning up of green areas.

RENTS

Rents payable on Local Authority dwellings are assessed under a Differential Rents Scheme. A Differential Rents Scheme means that the rent is based on the income of the household with deductions in respect of any dependent children in the house. During the year, rents were reviewed to bring them into line with increases in disposal income and to meet the ever increasing demand for housing maintenance and estate management.

HOUSING LOANS

People who wish to purchase or build a house but cannot get a loan from a building society, bank, etc. may be eligible for a loan from a local authority. The maximum house purchase/ construction loan is 95% of the cost to a maximum of €185,000.

SHARED OWNERSHIP SCHEME

This scheme offers home ownership to those who cannot afford full ownership in one step in the traditional way. The applicant will initially acquire a share of between 40% and 75% of the house and rents the remaining percentage from Local Authority with the intention of purchasing the remaining equity from the Council within a 25 year period.

In 2007, Sligo County Council assisted 7 applicants with the purchasing of a house under the Shared Ownership Scheme.

TENANT PURCHASE

Tenants of a local authority house for a period of at least one year may apply to purchase their rented house outright or by means of Shared Ownership under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. The purchase price will be the market value of the house in its existing state of repair and condition, less various discounts. The applicant wishing to purchase their home should seek a mortgage from a financial institution.

In 2007, 5 tenants purchased their houses from Sligo County Council under the Tenant Purchase Scheme.

IMPROVEMENT WORKS IN LIEU OF RE-HOUSING

This Scheme allows Sligo County Council to improve or extend privately owned houses, occupied or intended to be occupied, by an approved applicant for housing as an alternative to the provision of Local Authority Housing. Sligo County Council pays the full cost of the works and the applicant then makes repayment on the amount. These repayments are calculated in a similar manner to the Differential Rent Scheme and apply for a period of 15 years.

During 2007, 8 houses were completed at an average cost per house of €49,682 and 16 new applications were approved under the scheme.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

During 2007, 6 no. houses were completed in Ballintogher under the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme. These were priced at €140,000 and the sale of same was completed in late Spring. This is the first scheme, whereby applicants were able to purchase with a loan sourced from a number of lending institutions that are now providing mortgages specifically for Affordable Housing Schemes, namely:

• Bank of Ireland
• ESB Building Society
• First Active
• Ulster Bank
• IIB Home Loans

These developments have greatly benefited applicants through a wider and more competitive range of interest rates and loan terms.

• 34 number additional houses were made available to Affordable Housing Applicants under Part V and details of these are set out under the previous heading “Part V”.
  

ESTATE MANAGEMENT

An Estate Management Officer was appointed by Sligo County Council in August 2007. The role involves providing continued support to council tenants via pre-tenancy training, facilitating the setting up of Resident Associations and assisting them with the preparation and implementation of Estate Action Plans. The EMO also acts as a liaison with council officials regarding housing issues, e.g. maintenance, transfers, etc. and provides a valuable service to both tenants and council by being a constant presence on estates to deal with any estate management issues that may arise on the ground.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS

Sligo County Council introduced an Estate Enhancement Scheme for local authority housing estates in the county in 2007 and was successful in securing partial funding of €155,000, over the lifetime of the Scheme, from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the Sustainable Communities Fund. Designed as an annual programme, the Scheme will provide investment for 15 estates over a period of three years 2007-2009.

The objectives of the Scheme are as follows:

• To promote an enhanced quality of life within the associated local authority housing estates.
• To improve the environment of the estate.
• To improve the aesthetics of local authority housing estates.
• To maximise the potential of green areas within the estates.
• The works proposed include the development of amenity areas and open spaces using innovative design supported by landscaping, development of seating areas and painting of houses within the estate.

Outcomes:

• The investment in the estates will have a positive impact on the visual appearance and physical environment of the estates and create an aesthetically pleasant and desirable residential environment.
• The capital investment in the estates will act as a catalyst to those in the community to continue to maintain and improve their estates.
• In many communities local infrastructure works have provided the impetus, and have been the forerunners to, a wider range of local development activities and projects. In this regard, community infrastructural works are the catalyst both to an improved local physical fabric and wider local socio-economic development.
  

NEW GRANTS SCHEMES

Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability

The Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability is available to assist in the carrying out of works which are reasonably necessary for the purpose of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability who has an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment. The type of works allowable under the scheme include the provision of

• Access ramps,
• Downstairs toilet facilities
• Stair lifts
• Accessible showers
• Adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access
• Extensions
• Any other works which are reasonably necessary for the purpose of rending a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability

The level of grant aid available is determined on the basis of gross household income and can be between 30% - 95% of the approved cost of the works.

MOBILITY AIDS HOUSING GRANT SCHEME

The Mobility Aids Housing Grant is available to cover a basic suite of works to address mobility problems, primarily, but not exclusively, associated with ageing. The works aided under the scheme include:

• Grab Rails
• Access Ramps
• Level Access Showers
• Stairs-lifts
• Other minor works deemed necessary to facilitate the mobility needs of a member of a household

The effective maximum grant is €6,000 or 100% the cost of the works, whichever is the lesser. The grant is available to households whose gross annual household income does not exceed €30,000.

SCHEME OF HOUSING AID FOR OLDER PEOPLE

The Scheme of Housing Aid for Older People is available to assist older people living in poor housing conditions to have necessary structural repairs or improvements. The type of works grant aided under the scheme includes:

• Structural repairs or improvements
• Re-wiring
• Repairs to/replacement of windows and doors
• Provision of heating, water and sanitary services
• Dry lining

The level of grant aid available is determined on the basis of gross household income and can be between 30% - 100% of the approval cost of the works.

The Housing (Adaptation Grants for People with a Disability and Older People), Regulations 2007 consolidate and revoke the previous Regulations dealing with these schemes - Housing (Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs Grant) Regulations, 2001. The aforementioned Schemes have been introduced to replace the original Disabled Persons Grant and the Essential Repairs Grant, and also the Special Housing Aid for the Elderly Scheme that was heretofore administered by the Health Service Executive.

These schemes came into operation on 1 November 2007.

VOLUNTARY HOUSING

Voluntary Housing is provided by non-profit independent organisations that provide rented houses for people who cannot afford to buy their own houses or specific groups such as the elderly, homeless, people with special needs or disabilities. A recipient of a Voluntary house must be registered on Sligo County Council’s housing list, however, while the tenant enjoys all the rights of a County Council tenant they are unable to avail of a tenant purchase on this house.

In 2007, Sligo County Council was successful in being granted approval from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on behalf of Sophia Housing Association for a development of 57 units of accommodation under the Capital Assistance Scheme and the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme at the Marist Convent Tubbercurry. 24 of these units will be provided specifically for persons with intellectual disability.

Approval was also granted, in 2007, by the Department to this Authority on behalf of Sophia Housing Association for the purchase an adaptation of two units of accommodation at Cairns Hill, Sligo, into eight semi-independent accommodation units for people with intellectual disabilities.

TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION

Sligo County Council carried out an assessment of Traveller Accommodation Needs that was completed in September 2007. This Assessment looked at the needs of families resident in Sligo County who are seeking accommodation in various forms, e.g. group housing, standard local authority housing, traveller halting sites etc. This assessment, and updates done through 2008, will form the basis of a new Traveller Accommodation Programme to be prepared in 2009.

In 2007 an Inter-agency initiative was set up to co-ordinate the better provision of services to Travellers. Relationships between statutory and voluntary agencies working with and on behalf of Travellers in Co Sligo have developed further as a result of participation on the Inter-Agency Traveller Group. A Strategic Plan was prepared by the Group that sets out agreed actions under various themes.

• Accommodation
• Health
• Education
• Training and Employment
• Childcare and Youth
  

ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING NEEDS

A statutory Assessment of Housing Needs is carried out every three years and is due to be completed in March 2008. Sligo County Council commenced the Assessment process in 2007.

The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government issued a circular letter (N13/200) to all local authorities in May 2007 advising of revised procedures for assessing social housing need, which were developed in consultation with the City and County Managers Association and approved by the Housing Forum in December 2006. The purpose of the revised process for assessing housing needs is to reflect changing demand for housing support both from a customer perspective and using the wider suite of housing supports now available.

The assessment of need involves two distinct phases, i.e.

1. An initial evaluation to determine the most appropriate support option for the customer’s needs (Phase 1).
2. A more comprehensive assessment for those who have been determined to have a long term housing need (Phase 2).

Phase 1 involves an initial evaluation of applicants to determine the most suitable type of housing support required and to determine whether their need is likely to be long or short term in nature. A preliminary interview will be held with the applicant and all relevant information gathered. The applicant will then be referred to the most appropriate housing support option for assistance, i.e.

1. Emergency support.
2. Social Housing Accommodation Options.
3. Purchase Options, i.e. Housing Loan/Shared Ownership/Affordable Housing.
4. Modification Options, i.e. Improvement Works in Lieu/DPGs/ERGs.
5. Advice only (including advice on Rent Supplement, etc.).

After the initial evaluation, only those designated as likely to have a need for social housing accommodation will be referred for a full assessment of their housing needs (phase 2). A full assessment will include the following checks:

• An inspection of existing accommodation.
• Validation of an applicant’s PPS number to identify where applications have been made to other housing authorities, or indeed for other schemes.
• Verification of income details, i.e. P60, letter from social welfare, etc.
• Where an applicant has a disability, verification by a suitably qualified medical practitioner.

The Department has requested that housing authorities assess all new applicants for housing support using the revised framework and also begin to review the needs of applicants already on housing waiting lists in the context of the revised assessment process. Where needs or circumstances are identified as such that an alternative support option is more appropriate than social housing, those applicants will be re-directed or accommodated accordingly.