Just 16pc of Wicklow’s €6m housing allocation drawn down as minister stresses tenant in situ ‘last resort’

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

Wicklow County Council has drawn down 16pc of its €6 million allocation for social housing acquisitions this year, according to new figures released by Housing Minister James Browne.

The funding forms part of the Social Housing Second Hand Acquisitions programme, which supports councils in purchasing homes for households at risk of homelessness, including through tenant in situ arrangements.

In a written reply to Wicklow Wexford TD Brian Brennan last week, the minister confirmed that the local authority has accessed €975,227 to date in 2026, representing around 16pc of its total allocation.

The council received €6 million at the beginning of the year, with €4.75 million ringfenced for priority acquisitions by the local authority.

These include tenant in situ purchases aimed at preventing families in precarious situations from becoming homeless. A further €1.25 million is ringfenced for Approved Housing Body acquisitions.

The minister said the government’s priority under Delivering Homes, Building Communities remains increasing the supply of new build social and affordable homes.

However, he acknowledged the need to respond to acute cases where households supported through social housing schemes are at risk of losing their homes, or where a property must be acquired urgently to meet a particular need.

Tenant in situ purchases were introduced as an eligible category under the acquisitions programme in 2023, but he emphasised that they are not a standalone scheme.

He said tenant in situ policy should be used only when all other options have been exhausted.

The default approach, he said, should be to sustain the tenancy with the existing landlord, secure alternative accommodation through tenancy sustainment and Placefinder services, or allocate a new build or re let social home. He added that tenant in situ will never be the sole or primary option for councils.

The minister said his department does not set targets for the number of homes to be purchased. Instead, funding allocations are issued at the start of the year, and councils determine how many acquisitions to pursue based on need and the availability of suitable properties.

He said he continues to meet local authorities regularly to press them to maximise social housing allocations for households experiencing or facing imminent homelessness, and to make full use of the scope provided by the acquisitions programme.

He also highlighted the multi-annual funding approach introduced last year, which allows councils to commit up to 30pc of their base allocation for purchases that will complete the following year.

For Wicklow County Council, this means it can commit up to €1.8 million of its 2026 allocation for acquisitions that will draw down funding in 2027.

The minister said this flexibility allows priority purchases to progress in the closing months of the year, even if conveyancing delays mean they cannot be completed before year end.

Deputy Brennan had asked the minister how much funding was received for the scheme in 2026 and how many homes were expected to be purchased.

The minister reiterated that tenant in situ is not a separate scheme and that no targets are set for acquisitions. He said the funding provided is intended to support households in the most precarious situations and to prevent homelessness wherever possible.