Council gave house to person 'arrested five times' and home now being used as 'drugs den'

The councillors of Nenagh Municipal District raised the problems of anti-social behaviour, illegal drugs and poor treatment of property in a number of housing estates in north Tipperary, during a recent meeting.

Cllr Seamus Morris highlighted an issue in a Nenagh Town housing estate, during the MD's July meeting.

“The Council gave a social house to an individual in Nenagh,” he remarked. “This person has been arrested five times. The house is now being used as a drugs den.

"I am told that unfortunately the Guards haven't been seen in that particular housing estate for a very long time indeed. This individual was allowed in under the Housing First Scheme, therefore I think the government needs to have a good look at that scheme and reform it. Until that happens I don't want to see any more houses being signed over to people under the Scheme.”

Cllr Louise Morgan-Walsh agreed with Cllr Morris. “When I was canvassing during the local elections I felt so sorry for the elderly people I spoke to in that housing estate. They had to get triple locks on their doors. One of them had their house broken into. It's shocking.”

Cllr John Carroll said community policing is not at the strength it once was. “In some estates it seems to be non-existent, because the Garda numbers are insufficient. It is a resource issue. My feeling is that the anti-social behaviour and drugs and abuse of state housing is getting worse.”

Cllr Phyll Bugler agreed. “The drugs issue is very bad in a number of estates in the county,” she remarked.
One of the councillors said the “wraparound”, tenant support services are not there after five in the evening or at the weekend.

“In general, the social housing system is not working as well as it should.”

“Some of our tenants are pretty vulnerable,” commented an official from the Council's housing section, “and the community liaison officer is doing her best.”