€1.47m allocated to bring vacant social homes back into use in Waterford
More than €1.47 million has been allocated to County Waterford to bring vacant local authority homes back into use.
The funding forms part of the Government’s Voids Programme, which supports local authorities in refurbishing empty council houses so they can be re-let to tenants.
In total, the programme will provide €40 million nationwide in 2026 to prepare around 2,200 social homes for occupancy.
The allocation for Waterford amounts to €1,474,020, representing an increase of more than 27% compared with last year’s funding.
National Investment in Social Housing
The Government has increased the national allocation by €9 million, or about 29%, compared with the €31 million distributed in 2025. The programme provides funding to local authorities to carry out repair and maintenance works on vacant properties so they can return to active use more quickly. Major allocations include €7.26 million for Dublin City, €2.8 million for Cork City, and €2.2 million for Cork County, reflecting the scale of local authority housing stock in those areas.Waterford Funding to Help Boost Housing Supply
Minister of State at the Department of Housing John Cummins welcomed the allocation for Waterford. He said the funding will help ensure vacant council homes return to use more quickly at a time of significant housing demand. “The Voids Programme supports local authorities to prepare vacant homes for re-letting and tackles vacancy and dereliction to ensure people reuse these properties for housing,” he said.Addressing Empty Council Homes
The funding will support Waterford City and County Council to refurbish vacant properties so they can allocate them to people on the housing list.
Officials have also introduced new vacancy and turnaround targets aimed at reducing the length of time council properties remain empty between tenancies. The programme aims to increase the availability of social housing while helping to revitalise towns and communities where vacant homes have remained unused. For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
