Press release
Friday 17th June
Irish Council for Social Housing reacts to Oireachtas Committee Report on Housing and Homelessness
The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) today welcomed the publication of the cross party report from the Dáil Committee on Housing and Homelessness and in particular the recommendation for an immediate boost in supply to 10,000 homes per year for the next five years.
Commenting at the launch, ICSH President Justin O’Brien said “Partnerships between local authorities and non-profit housing associations will be crucial to increase the scale beyond what was planned in the Social Housing Strategy”. He added, “the sector provided 2,400 homes last year from new builds, acquisitions and re-lets, and there are a further 5,170 homes in the pipeline by 2018.”
The provision and assembly of large numbers of building sites for housing associations is essential to deliver an increased expanded social housing programme. Along with the range of short term measures, the ICSH emphasised the importance of taking a ‘strategic and evidence based approach to housing delivery that reflects a housing system not a housing market’.
Mr O’Brien said, “The upcoming Action Plan for Housing must have a twin track approach. In order to avoid mistakes of the past, it must have actions that boost supply and prevent households from becoming homeless in the short term as well as measures to re-position social housing as a long term infrastructural investment”.
Mr O’Brien concluded “As a sector we are playing our part in addressing current housing challenges, stepping up delivery and working closely with all stakeholders. Considering the scale of the demand for social housing, it is essential that housing associations are supported at a local and national level to continue to deliver in the coming years.”
About the ICSH
- The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) is the national federation for non-profit housing associations, representing approximately 270 members that provide social housing. The sector manages over 30,000 homes for families on a low income, older people, people with disabilities and homeless households.
- Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) – also known as housing associations – are non-profit organisations that provide and manage good-quality housing at affordable rents for households in housing need.
- Further information is available at www.icsh.ie, or by following the ICSH on Twitter, @icsh_ie. The hashtag to follow the work of ICSH members in housing delivery is #playingourpart
