HOUSING FOR OLDER SINGLE PEOPLE IN MEATH A TICKING TIMEBOMB - Cllr Emer Tóibín
The highest demand for housing in Meath County Council is for one bed units and throws the spotlight on the issue of accommodation for older single people.
That’s according to Aontú’s Cllr Emer Tóibín, a candidate for Meath East in the upcoming General Election, who says that between 1,600 to 1,800 people are waiting for an average of seven years for a single unit accommodation and says the issue of accommodation for single people is a ticking timebomb that is not being addressed or spoken about.
“This is going to cause huge problems down the line. Not everyone fits into the ‘traditional ‘family unit and they don’t need or want two- or three-bedroom properties. They can’t afford them for one thing, they are too big for them, and these are some of the people that are at constant risk of homelessness”.
“Housing for single older people is a massive issue . These people may have separated, they may have remained single, they may be on low incomes, they may not have a strong familial or social network, they are getting older, and they simply don’t have suitable housing for their needs. We have a severe shortage of one-bedroom units, and this is going to come back to haunt us if we don’t grab the issue now and take action”.
“Private developers are trying to play catch up too and this is adding to the competition for one bed units”.
“We are an increasingly aging society. It is estimated that by 2051 one in four people will be over the age of 65. The current life expectancy is around 84 years. We don’t have a good record of planning for these eventualities and now is the time to change that. It is imperative that our older people who have worked to build up this country deserve nothing less”.
“We need to fast track single bed units as matter or urgency. In its submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, ALONE, the organisation that supports older people to age at home, called for targeted housing delivery for older people to help increase housing supply and highlighted the escalating crisis of homelessness among older people in Ireland.”
“ALONE stated that they have provided 535 interventions to support older people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness in 2023”.
“Older single people have particular needs, and they are desperately worried as to how and where they will find suitable secure and lifelong accommodation as they age. So many are now in private accommodation paying huge rents, in fact latest figures from Threshold show that 1 in 5 people live in rented accommodation, and they haven’t a hope of maintaining those payments on a pension. This issue needs to be grappled with now or it’s going to create huge hardship for people down the line”.
