Eleven houses in the Stradavoher Court estate in Thurles are to be purchased by Novas the housing body. Several of the properties are currently vacant and four are considered derelict after being severely damaged in a fire last year. Novas will lead the project with funding from Tipperary county council and the houses will be used to provide homes for those on the housing list. Novas wants to improve the overall sense of community well-being in the estate by having a mix of tenure types. The charity currently provides supported accommodation, and outreach supports in North Tipperary but is extremely concerned about the long term impacts of homelessness on both families and young individuals.
At present 11,300 homeless people are supported via emergency accommodation – the charity says the solution is in increasing supply of new homes and bringing space over shops back into use which it says would be ideal for single people seeking accommodation.
