Groups working with distressed mortgage holders have welcomed “belated” attempts by the Government to address the mortgage arrears crisis but criticised the lack of detail available so far.

A new plan by government to clear the 90,000 waiting list for social housing has been welcomed by support groups, but with a warning that much more work is needed to ease the crisis.

Clúid Housing has "warmly welcomed" today’s announcement of a trebling in capital funding for social housing in the Budget.

Rent controls and use of vacant housing stock — including refitted hotels — should be considered to ease the looming homelessness crisis, experts have claimed.

Cork City Council has revealed that it received 243 refusals to offers of housing last year.

Only five mortgage-to-rent arrangements to assist distressed borrowers have been completed by the country’s main banks since it was set up two and a half years ago.

The Government’s much vaunted mortgage-to-rent scheme to aid distressed home owners is in crisis as Ireland’s four main lending institutions say it is all but unworkable.

Social housing organisations yesterday said the fact that 3,500 local authority dwellings are lying empty for more than a month around the country was “a huge waste”.

Lisa O’Sullivan, who is almost completely blind, was on the housing list in Cork for nearly eight years before she was eventually housed by a housing association.

Jim O’Sullivan (Letters, Jul 13) raises a very important point in relation to the recently launched Mortgage to Rent scheme.

An independent regulator for social housing could be in place within six months, it was yesterday claimed as a study showed increased private financing of social housing schemes could take thousands off waiting lists.

Private finance can help to provide homes to thousands of people on social housing waiting lists.

TWICE as many children are living in poor housing conditions than before the economic boom with dampness, disrepair and overcrowding part of their daily lives.

A MOTION of no confidence is to be tabled at a meeting of Dublin Simon Community as a row deepens over the dismissal of its chief executive.