Sinn Féin Cork today launched their Vacant Homes for Cork strategy. 

Speaking at the launch, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould said:

“As the Housing Crisis continues around Cork city and county, there are thousands of potential homes lying vacant. These could be homes for the thousands on the social housing waiting lists or the tens of thousands locked out of home ownership in Cork. 

“Instead of filling these homes with families and people, they are sitting boarded-up and empty. Sinn Féin has a plan to bring these homes back into housing stock because it’s time to get serious about solving the Housing Crisis.

“The National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy 2018-2021 has failed Cork. We have not seen the promised benefits and we are still in a city full of empty houses.

“Yet, despite the fact that there are approximately 9,392 vacant homes in Cork, there is only one part-time vacant homes officer. 

“Sinn Féin have an ambitious plan to bring these homes back to use and start solving this Housing Crisis. 

“Our plan would see the Department of Housing working with Cork City Council to get families and individuals into these vacant houses. 

“We would see social houses renovated and given out as soon as they become vacant in a fast-tracked voids scheme. We would fund local authorities to conduct five-year rolling preventative maintenance audits on all social housing stock.

“We would conduct a complete audit of all vacant stock and set multi-annual targets for the return of these. We would work with the Departments of Health and Housing to bring some homes in the Fair Deal scheme back into use in a fair and equitable way.

“Each of these potential homes in Cork city and county could have children playing in the back garden, dinners cooked in the kitchen and a family growing together under the roof. Instead they are left empty and rotting.”

• The Vacant Homes for Cork strategy can be read here.