Almost 3,300 people in the Shannonside region were in need of social housing at the end of last year. According to a new Oireachtas report, they include people on social housing waiting lists or in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment. The figure for Roscommon is 1,377, followed by 1,115 in Longford, and 800 in Leitrim.
It's estimated it would cost over 500 million euro to build permanent social housing for all these people. Ballinamore councillor Gary Prior, from Fianna Fáil, says it's a big issue in Leitrim:
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Councillor Prior says many people have come to him with housing problems since he was elected in June:
