I would like to welcome the news that Roscommon County Council are set to provide 255 new social-housing units between now and 2021.
Figures up until September 2018 show that there are just under 700 people on the housing list; 300 of those are in private accommodation and are receiving Housing Assistance Payment.
A total of 394 applicants are seeking a house, but 80 to 90 per cent of those are also in private-rented accommodation, with the final number in a mix of housing situations. We are in the middle of a national housing crisis and taking action locally is a start in the right direction.