Council tenants to get apartments in "The Grange"

ronbyrne2005

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2008/1113/1226408579412.html

Ireland's premier apartment block to house council tenants. Those who paid 500k for a 2bed not happy! :pac:

stovelid

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Those who paid 500k for a 2bed not sane! :pac:

Fixed your post.

Berty

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2008/1113/1226408579412.html

Ireland's premier apartment block to house council tenants. Those who paid 500k for a 2bed not happy! :pac:

Yep things are going that way. We have no money and the health service has none and the 12 year old girls will die of cancer but that underserving single mother with 9 children can have a 1/2 million Euro house because she cannot keep her legs together.

tba

Good stuff, I'm glad this is happening

Jumpy

They arent stupid, they will obviously vet the people they put in there.

ronbyrne2005

Amazing that the government has the money to bail out their developer buddies who can't sell their overpriced shoeboxes but can't spend ten million on the cervical cancer programme. :mad:
Vote Fianna Fail-ure and thats what ya get.

Dudess

There's a voice in my head saying "Ha ha, if you're stupid/flash/shallow/wanky enough to spend half a million on a two-bedroom apartment, this is exactly what you deserve" and I can't get that voice out of my head...

Jumpy wrote: »

They arent stupid, they will obviously vet the people they put in there.

Yep. This isn't fail-safe though, but most of the time it is.

mikemac

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Amazing that the government has the money to bail out their developer buddies who can't sell their overpriced shoeboxes but can spend ten million on the cervical cancer programme. :mad:

You're complaining about a vaccination programme going ahead?
Ok.....

I thought it was cancelled, I better check my facts

seamus

Actually, this is probably something which should be done countrywide. The councils have long waiting lists of people who want to be housed, the developers have tonnes of properties waiting to be sold.....why not kill two birds with one stone?

Whether we buy the properties or wait for the developers to default, the end result will be the same - our taxes going to the banks.

biko

In Newgrange? Seems a bit ott.

tba

Ok, seriously section 5 was not made to punish those who purchase expensive apartments, it was to evenly disperse social and affordable housing in an effort to prevent things such as this.

andrewh5

seamus wrote: »

Actually, this is probably something which should be done countrywide. The councils have long waiting lists of people who want to be housed, the developers have tonnes of properties waiting to be sold.....why not kill two birds with one stone?

Whether we buy the properties or wait for the developers to default, the end result will be the same - our taxes going to the banks.

So you would be quite happy if you owned one of the apartments to have a skanky family put in next door to you? This is not the way to go. The skangers in Kilgobbin are currently having great fun stoning bus windows as they drive through the estate. Would you want one of them living in your apartment block?

Berty

seamus wrote: »

Actually, this is probably something which should be done countrywide. The councils have long waiting lists of people who want to be housed, the developers have tonnes of properties waiting to be sold.....why not kill two birds with one stone?

Whether we buy the properties or wait for the developers to default, the end result will be the same - our taxes going to the banks.

I am completely against this. I will block with every resource I have so that a family does not get the house next to me which is empty.

I do not deserve to have to live next to a underserving family after paying a lot of money to move OUT of a council estate.

stovelid

quirke_folder wrote: »

I do not deserve to have to live next to a underserving family after paying a lot of money to move OUT of a council estate.

So you're a skanky single mother or dirtbird yourself then?

Seeing as everybody from a council estate is one?

mikemac

quirke_folder wrote: »

I do not deserve to have to live next to a underserving family after paying a lot of money to move OUT of a council estate.

Congrats on working hard and buying your home.
You do realize of course you're in no position to judge. And if you tell your neighbours your last house was in a council estate some will instantly judge you. The same you are now judging others.

tba

There should be no such thing as a council estate!

stovelid

Look on the bright side. That annoying Spirit of Gracious Living sign can finally be consigned to the bin now.

Nodin

Dudess wrote: »

There's a voice in my head saying "Ha ha, if you're stupid/flash/shallow/wanky enough to spend half a million on a two-bedroom apartment, this is exactly what you deserve" and I can't get that voice out of my head...

My powers are strong.

Quirke_folder wrote:

Yep things are going that way. We have no money and the health service has none and the 12 year old girls will die of cancer but that underserving single mother with 9 children can have a 1/2 million Euro house because she cannot keep her legs together

Don't jump to conclusions and stereotype them, whatever you do......

Allow me to point out that had the Goverment actually made good on its promise to allocate a percentage of all new housing built to "social" housing, this kind of thing probably wouldn't be happening now.

Berty

stovelid wrote: »

So you're a skanky single mother or dirtbird yourself then?

Seeing as everybody from a council estate is one?

I dont claim benefits and work hard for a living. If you have not lived in a council estate you would not understand the life these people lead.

I didnt dig myself out of that council estate to have the council estate follow me into a quiet area.

I never said skanky or dirtbird. I said undeserving.

If you can get a job then you do not need benefits. If you have a job you can afford a house of your own or at least an appartment.

If you have a medical disability that means you cannot work then its a different story.

I am reffering to the multi generations of families who all have council houses and their children are on waiting lists for their own houses. They ARE undeserving and the majority of people on waiting lists are these people.

Having recently spoken to Michael Kiely who is on the Limerick City Council and presides over the waiting lists of council tenants for Limerick City he tells me that they offer houses to people in areas like Moyross, Ballynanty, O'Malley Park, Carew Park, St Marys Park and Keyes Park and people are turning their noses up at those houses as they are waiting for the houses in sought after areas to come on the market for them.

Undeserving Muppets!

helimachoptor

seamus wrote: »

Actually, this is probably something which should be done countrywide. The councils have long waiting lists of people who want to be housed, the developers have tonnes of properties waiting to be sold.....why not kill two birds with one stone?

Whether we buy the properties or wait for the developers to default, the end result will be the same - our taxes going to the banks.

I've been thinking that myself. The councils could offer to buy quite a lot of apartments/houses and a highly discounted rate. The developer will get the cash to pay off the bank and the council will get people seeking accomodation of its books and start receiving rent (though it will be a long time renting before it matches the cost to buy).

Problem is people who bought in these "exclusive" developments probably dont want council people in their blocks.

Berty

micmclo wrote: »

Congrats on working hard and buying your home.
You do realize of course you're in no position to judge. And if you tell your neighbours your last house was in a council estate some will instantly judge you. The same you are now judging others.

Wrong I have never a council house nor have I ever said I had a council house. I said I lived in a council estate to which I owned a private house which the minority of people in those areas do. If it was the other way around then it would be a normal area with some people with Council/HSE houses which is the way this thread is suggesting it might go.

So, my neighbours know where I am from because my neighbour is from a similar area and again he owned his house. We both sold our houses for the same reason.

I am not a council tenant so I cannot be judged as one. I lived amongst council tenants and all my underserving in laws are council tenants and their children are on waiting lists.

I am qualified to make repsonses on this thread because of my current and former experience of such.

mikemac

quirke_folder wrote: »

If you have a job you can afford a house of your own or at least an appartment.

To buy or to rent?
You obviously know how expensive housing so you know many (most?) single people couldn't afford to buy or rent a place of their own. It'd be a struggle anyway

quirke_folder wrote: »

Wrong I have never a council house nor have I ever said I had a council house..

Wrong, I never said you were a council tenant. Read it again
I'm saying if you tell your neighbours your last house was in a council estate they will judge you. You know the situation and so will they.

Berty

Nodin wrote: »

Allow me to point out that had the Goverment actually made good on its promise to allocate a percentage of all new housing built to "social" housing, this kind of thing probably wouldn't be happening now.

Social housing and/or social afforbable housing. That is different from a house given to somebody in repsect of low rent.

To purchase a house worth €300k for €150k is a socially affordable house in some cases. A colleague of mine had to jump through hoops to get a house like this in County Cork. He must have been on a certain wage for two years. He was not allowed to go above a certain threshold or below another treshold to prove in one case he was able to afford the house and the other to prove he was entitled to have a house to satisfy his needs which otherwise he would not be able to afford.

Berty

micmclo wrote: »

To buy or to rent?
You obviously know how expensive housing so you know many (most?) single people couldn't afford to buy or rent a place of their own. It'd be a struggle anyway

Hence the introduction of the rent allowance sheme and rent relief. It was originally evolved to encourage children of social housing families to push themselves to have a place of their own and to get them into a mindset of their OWN house/Appt.

A lot of landlords do not like the scheme because the city councils are slow to pay but that scheme is available. Giving somebody a rent allowance is cheaper than building them a new home or buying them an appt.

Single mothers also get their rent subsidised and quite a lot pretend to be single to get this but then the BF moves in later on.

Again I know somebody that did this to find that their neighbour called the council and reported them calling them welfare sponges. The same woman has had a council house for 46 years and has a 2007 car. Pot kettle black.

ShooterSF

I though a percentage of all new house had to be given over for social housing. Only seems fair and is one of the few areas I'd support this government in.

stovelid

quirke_folder wrote: »

If you have not lived in a council estate you would not understand the life these people lead.

I have. For all my younger life, until I moved out and bought too. I'm not looking for a pat on the back about it though.

A social housing obligation has always been in place, except now many of the developers can't buy their way out, and there are plenty of vacant properties.

I have no idea about the exact number of children born to, or the social history of, every single mother who seeks housing, so I can't comment on the usual 20 kids tales. That said, I'm sure if everybody on AH actually did know the amount of council-housed, single mothers that they claim to, we'd probably have to move them to Greenland to stop Ireland sinking.

One thing I do agree with though, is that nobody - home owner or not - should have to put up with anti-social behavior. If you are given social housing, you should be thrown out immediately if you cause trouble. If you did actually move from a council estate, you will remember that the overwhelming majority of council tenants don't cause any trouble.

Berty

* The building or acquisition of 27,000 new units of social housing between 2007-2009
* The building or acquisition of 63,000 social housing units from 2007-2013 through local authority, voluntary and co-operative housing and the Rental Accommodation Scheme
* Making local authority Housing Action Plans statutory documents to improve the delivery of housing
* Provision of 40,000 affordable housing units, 17,000 of these over the frist three year period between 2007-2009
* Implementation of new means of assessing housing need
* New guidance to replace Social Housing Design Guidelines

Wagon

Dudess wrote: »

There's a voice in my head saying "Ha ha, if you're stupid/flash/shallow/wanky enough to spend half a million on a two-bedroom apartment, this is exactly what you deserve" and I can't get that voice out of my head...

Yeah...people who buy a place to live are a shower of flash shallow ****...when will they learn?

If I decided to get myself a nice apartment for that price cos I worked hard for it and liked it enough, and then some shower of **** move in next door for free I'll be mighty pissed off as well. Rob the people who work for their money and give the wasters what you took from them. Seems fair alright...

Berty

stovelid wrote: »

If you did actually move from a council estate, you will remember that the overwhelming majority of council tenants don't cause any trouble.

True very true but Im not contesting anti social behaviour. It is the families who march through life with their hands out looking for free health care, free education, free travel pass's, free houses, benefits galore and cannot understand why people think they should get a job.

If a family next to me now who own their house were antisocial I would report them immediately whether they came from a desirable area or from a council area.

Degsy

Wagon wrote: »

Yeah...people who buy a place to live are a shower of flash shallow ****...when will they learn?

If I decided to get myself a nice apartment for that price cos I worked hard for it and liked it enough, and then some shower of **** move in next door for free I'll be mighty pissed off as well. Rob the people who work for their money and give the wasters what you took from them. Seems fair alright...

Only fools and horses work.
The way forward in this country is to sign on,you'll do better out of the budget than naybody else,they'll pay for your gaff and if you want to become a junkie,the taxpayer will pay for your drugs.

Wagon

Degsy wrote: »

Only fools and horses work.
The way forward in this country is to sign on,you'll do better out of the budget than naybody else,they'll pay for your gaff and if you want to become a junkie,the taxpayer will pay for your drugs.

Haha pretty true. I'm taking the other solution and getting out of the country.

stovelid

quirke_folder wrote: »

they offer houses to people in areas like Moyross, Ballynanty, O'Malley Park, Carew Park, St Marys Park and Keyes Park and people are turning their noses up at those houses as they are waiting for the houses in sought after areas to come on the market for them.

They may just be waiting for houses in non-life threatening areas?

veritable

Wagon wrote: »

Yeah...people who buy a place to live are a shower of flash shallow ****...when will they learn?

If I decided to get myself a nice apartment for that price cos I worked hard for it and liked it enough, and then some shower of **** move in next door for free I'll be mighty pissed off as well. Rob the people who work for their money and give the wasters what you took from them. Seems fair alright...

I completely agree. Life is unfair FOR EVERYBODY. If you can't make something of yourself, you should be poor. If you CHOOSE to have multiple children, you must be responisble for this and the crippling financial burden you put yourself under.

The people who sacrifice themselves to make money to afford places like the Grange do not deserve to have welfare grabbing excuses living next door to them, bringing down the value of asset they have bought with hard earned money.

Berty

stovelid wrote: »

They may just be waiting for houses in non-life threatening areas?

Beggars cant be choosers. If I take one person for example whom is my finacees brother and his fiancee. They are on the waiting list for a house in Limerick and they keep getting offered this house and that house and they keep rejecting them. Each time the council say "if you dont take the next one we offer you we are taking you off the top of the list". They never do.

The same couple are living in a house paying FULL rent. They are not claiming rent allowance only rent relief once a year.

If they can afford a house then why are they entitled to a council house?

Dudess

andrewh5 wrote: »

So you would be quite happy if you owned one of the apartments to have a skanky family put in next door to you? This is not the way to go. The skangers in Kilgobbin are currently having great fun stoning bus windows as they drive through the estate. Would you want one of them living in your apartment block?

Come on now. A skanky family will not be put beside you - and why this assumption that it's such a guarantee they'll be skanky because they come from a council estate? I worked in the council - the people housed in one-off council properties in upmarket areas were very, very carefully selected and went on to be superb tenants and very popular in their new communities.

quirke_folder wrote: »

If you can get a job then you do not need benefits. If you have a job you can afford a house of your own or at least an appartment.

You certainly can't in a lot of cases unfortunately.

he tells me that they offer houses to people in areas like Moyross, Ballynanty, O'Malley Park, Carew Park, St Marys Park and Keyes Park and people are turning their noses up at those houses as they are waiting for the houses in sought after areas to come on the market for them.

They're only the areas I hear about in the news so often. Would you soddin' well blame them for refusing?! When I worked in Cork City Council there was no problem with getting accommodation pretty much immediately in the worst estates in Knocknaheeny, The Glen, Togher, Mayfield and Mahon - I wonder why...
And while most people living in those estates are great people, a tiny few make life utter hell for everyone else.

Wagon wrote: »

people who buy a place to live are a shower of flash shallow ****...when will they learn?

Sigh... because of course any "place to live" is half a million euro.

If I decided to get myself a nice apartment for that price cos I worked hard for it and liked it enough, and then some shower of **** move in next door for free I'll be mighty pissed off as well. Rob the people who work for their money and give the wasters what you took from them. Seems fair alright...

Why in the name of Christ would anyone spend half a million on a two-bed apartment in a not especially beautiful area?

milod

Jumpy wrote: »

They arent stupid, they will obviously vet the people they put in there.

Hmm yeah - I rented my house to the council on one of those RAS schemes where they take it off you and let it to their supposedly vetted tenants.

I got the house back in ruins and had to spend 25K fixing it up (still in dispute with the city council about that).

I suppose, to be fair, the chap renting it kept his methadone bottles very tidy, and he did lift the carpet he'd pissed on when his family de-toxed him in the back bedroom.

That house is my pension - it's the only property I own and I can't really afford to live in it on my own. Instead I live with my g/f and pay rent to her.

There's a lot of snide, and gleeful reaction to people who work hard to be self-sufficient and then get it in the neck. And there's a far too much 'understanding' for the lazy twats who don't mind milking the state for dwindling resources.

I don't think council house dwellers are lazy, but you're far more likely to find a lazy twat if you look in a free council house...

Berty

Dudess wrote: »

They're only the areas I hear about in the news so often. Would you soddin' well blame them for refusing?! When I worked in Cork City Council there was no problem with getting accommodation pretty much immediately in the worst estates in Knocknaheeny, The Glen, Togher, Mayfield and Mahon - I wonder why...
And while most people living in those estates are great people, a tiny few make life utter hell for everyone else.

How can they expect to be offered anything else. These are the council estates. These are where the houses are and these are the areas these people are from. If they have such a problem living there then get up off their lazy ass's, stop wearing Pyjamas all day long and get a F*CKING JOB. Then get your own house and stop waiting for the council to offer you a house in the nice area. Earn some money and buy yourself in to the nice area.

Everyone else in society seems able to do it. Why cant they?

mad m

Lets not forget the money from the council doesnt stop there. The council will be paying management fees for the up keep of these apartments as well...Or it might be built into the rent...Imagine €2000+ a tenant a year for management fee's.....

Wagon

Dudess wrote: »

Why in the name of Christ would anyone spend half a million on a two-bed apartment in a not especially beautiful area?

Well, I'm pissing into the wind here with this but I'll take a stab at it......I'll guess...people who want to live in a nice apartment in this area, which could be close to work or family/friends or something like that. Jesus Dudess, you'd swear you could get one of those apartments for free the way your going on.

veritable

Dudess wrote: »

Come on now. A skanky family will not be put beside you - and why this assumption that it's such a guarantee they'll be skanky because they come from a council estate? I worked in the council - the people housed in one-off council properties in upmarket areas were very, very carefully selected and went on to be superb tenants and very popular in their new communities.

You certainly can't in a lot of cases unfortunately.

They're only the areas I hear about in the news so often. Would you soddin' well blame them for refusing?! When I worked in Cork City Council there was no problem with getting accommodation pretty much immediately in the worst estates in Knocknaheeny, The Glen, Togher, Mayfield and Mahon - I wonder why...
And while most people living in those estates are great people, a tiny few make life utter hell for everyone else.

Sigh... because of course any "place to live" is half a million euro.

Why in the name of Christ would anyone spend half a million on a two-bed apartment in a not especially beautiful area?

I wish we could say the same for the dublin county councils

Dudess

quirke_folder wrote: »

How can they expect to be offered anything else. These are the council estates. These are where the houses are and these are the areas these people are from.

Council estates aren't just in dodgy areas.

If they have such a problem living there then get up off their lazy ass's, stop wearing Pyjamas all day long and get a F*CKING JOB. Then get your own house and stop waiting for the council to offer you a house in the nice area. Earn some money and buy yourself in to the nice area.

Everyone else in society seems able to do it. Why cant they?

Again, not all council tenants are unemployed/scummy. Do you honestly believe a house/apartment can be purchased on any salary?

veritable

Dudess wrote: »

Council estates aren't just in dodgy areas.

Again, not all council tenants are unemployed/scummy. Do you honestly believe a house/apartment can be purchased on any salary?

yes, maybe in the desirable area you want, but if you can't afford it, move to an area you can. Or else, work harder, and use your head to make money. dont expect everything on a plate

Dudess

Wagon wrote: »

I'll guess...people who want to live in a nice apartment in this area, which could be close to work or family/friends or something like that.

Wagon, how are you missing my overwhelmingly obvious point? There's nothing wrong with wanting to buy a place, in a decent enough area, near family, friends, work... but it is possible to do this without paying half a million euro! In fact you could purchase a THREE-bedroom place that ticks all of the above boxes... for less than half a million euro.

mountainyman

milod wrote: »

That house is my pension - it's the only property I own and I can't really afford to live in it on my own. Instead I live with my g/f and pay rent to her.

There's a lot of snide, and gleeful reaction to people who work hard to be self-sufficient and then get it in the neck. And there's a far too much 'understanding' for the lazy twats who don't mind milking the state for dwindling resources.

You aren't self sufficient you are scrounging of the state as much as any junkie. You're a private landlord gouging the poor and becasue we pay your rackrent the Irish people.

Death to landlords.
Hang them all.

As for the halfwits in the Grange. HA HA HA.

The only problem I have with the agreement is that teh apartments are not worth 200K.

Berty

Dudess wrote: »

Council estates aren't just in dodgy areas.

Again, not all council tenants are unemployed/scummy. Do you honestly believe a house/apartment can be purchased on any salary?

Bah, Im talking about people on waiting lists which is the whole point of this thread.

I have a problem with people who are working waiting for houses. They, in most cases, do not need or deserve these houses they are waiting for. Im not going to dig a hole about the people already in council houses although I will say that most of them could do with being means tested.

Council estates are not just in dodgy areas, that is true however more often than not the area itself is now dodgy because it has "certain" council families in it.

Whether we like it or not there will always be the element who will take a free house or socially aided house and make a mess of it, make a mess of the area and bring the whole area into disrepute.

I never did and never will mention that council families are scummy. The phrase I keep using are lazy and undeserving in most cases.

I know a family whereby the parents have a council house, their son has a council appt because of his supposed medical condition, daughther has a bungalow because of her single mother status. She is married now so somebody should have pulled the carpet from beneath her. Her other son is on a waiting list. Her two brothers have council bungalows. All of them are on every benefit they can possibly swing a cat at. The only exception to this family is their other daughter, my fiancee who has the only job in the family.

Every single one of them has a medical card and free travel and between them they only pay €115 a month for rent to the city council.

This is only one case. There are 1000's of cases just like this all over the country. Its a crying joke!!!

veritable

mountainyman wrote: »

You aren't self sufficient you are scrounging of the state as much as any junkie. You're a private landlord gouging the poor and becasue we pay your rackrent the Irish people.

Death to landlords.
Hang them all.

As for the halfwits in the Grange. HA HA HA.

The only problem I have with the agreement is that teh apartments are not worth 200K.

Absolute State of you.
You sound like a Muppet

veritable

quirke_folder wrote: »

Bah, Im talking about people on waiting lists which is the whole point of this thread.

I have a problem with people who are working waiting for houses. They, in most cases, do not need or deserve these houses they are waiting for. Im not going to dig a hole about the people already in council houses although I will say that most of them could do with being means tested.

Council estates are not just in dodgy areas, that is true however more often than not the area itself is now dodgy because it has "certain" council families in it.

Whether we like it or not there will always be the element who will take a free house or socially aided house and make a mess of it, make a mess of the area and bring the whole area into disrepute.

I never did and never will mention that council families are scummy. The phrase I keep using are lazy and undeserving in most cases.

I know a family whereby the parents have a council house, their son has a council appt because of his supposed medical condition, daughther has a bungalow because of her single mother status. She is married now so somebody should have pulled the carpet from beneath her. Her other son is on a waiting list. Her two brothers have council bungalows. All of them are on every benefit they can possibly swing a cat at. The only exception to this family is their other daughter, my fiancee who has the only job in the family.

Every single one of them has a medical card and free travel and between them they only pay €115 a month for rent to the city council.

This is only one case. There are 1000's of cases just like this all over the country. Its a crying joke!!!

Here here

Alun

tba wrote: »

There should be no such thing as a council estate!

Absolutely. I lived in the Netherlands before moving here, and there they deliberately mix up all kinds of housing ... social housing, apartments, rented houses, owner occupier houses of all sizes and prices together in one development with never more than a dozen or so of each type in one go. Also one development may have dozens of different builders involved resulting in a huge variety of different designs of house all the way from traditional to plain whacky. As a result they don't get the massive all-the-same housing estates like we, and the Brits, have, nor the resultant ghettoization.

stovelid

quirke_folder wrote: »

Beggars cant be choosers.

You know, this is the kind of punitive approach that has completely failed. If you put a good family in a council property - integrated in a stable area - it could be a better long-term environment for children than dumping them in one of the worst areas in the country. What if the increased social and education opportunities resulted in the next generation breaking out of the poverty cycle, and the associated costs to the state?

I don't know how successful integrated housing could be, but the arguments against it have to be better than I paid a vastly inflated price for my property, and they are getting it a reduced rent. Dumping the poor in isolated, mass housing has failed.

You should remember that the local authority still own the property. While a single mother gets their rent paid, they don't get the property in the same way that a buyer gets it.

Dinter

mountainyman wrote: »

You aren't self sufficient you are scrounging of the state as much as any junkie. You're a private landlord gouging the poor and becasue we pay your rackrent the Irish people.

Death to landlords.
Hang them all.

As for the halfwits in the Grange. HA HA HA.

The only problem I have with the agreement is that teh apartments are not worth 200K.

Oh here's the Emancipator. On to free us all from the shackles of bondage instigated by villainess absentee landlords with his worthless diatribe and pointless hysterics. Come on Mountanyman, get over your begrudgery will you? Fair enough you have a chip (gorge) on your shoulder but it's not the 1800's and you are not Daniel O'Connell.

Anyway OT, society may have a duty to look after its weakest members but since when does weakest include laziness and since when does caring for mean luxury apartments?

Dudess

veritable wrote: »

yes, maybe in the desirable area you want, but if you can't afford it, move to an area you can. Or else, work harder, and use your head to make money. dont expect everything on a plate

Jeez, you've quite the black and white view of the world... The woman sitting across from me is 40 and single - no way can she afford a house, so she's applying for affordable housing. Again, quite the lottery. She's not looking for a place in anywhere special - she's looking for something in a not particularly salubrious part of Cork's northside. What do you propose she do, seeing as it's so simple?
Take a hairdresser: that's a job. Yet, despite the fact that a job is all one needs to afford their own place, I doubt a hairdresser would be able to do so.
And then there's mortgage approval by the bank to consider.