It’s hoped that emergency funding will be made available to around nine homeowners in some of Donegal’s worst-affected defective homes from today.
Donegal County Council is expected to receive a letter from the Department of Housing today (Friday) with details on the release of €15,000 in alternative accommodation funding and €5,000 in storage costs for people to move out of inhabitable homes before Christmas.
The progress has been cautiously welcomed at a special meeting of Donegal County Councillors this morning.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle said it’s not good enough that people have been waiting a week and a half since the Housing Minister’s funding promise.
“We are sitting here in the mouth of Christmas, and if a letter arrives today, it will be next week before anything can be done,” Cllr McMonagle said.
“It’s highly unlikely these people will be rehoused or in alternative accommodation in time.”
He said that the funding totals are “not going to cut the mustard” in covering the costs faced by homeowners.
Cllr McMonagle added it is important that the council does not rest on their laurels over Christmas after nine families get assistance.
“We need to be looking at this in the long term. We need a proactive plan for the amount of people needing accommodation going forward,” he said.
“We need to get the message to the Department of the humanitarian crisis to this. That is being lost on the department in the way they are responding to this.”
The special meeting continues in Lifford and is available to watch here: https://donegalcoco.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/731314?fbclid=IwAR1YwuUscEKpWE0ajxNSmbOHlipvVTGJBS8mTC4AyUUdAg1104a1CkgcOF8
