Irish Council for Social Housing Welcomes Housing Action Plan
ICSH supports mixed tenure approach and the role housing associations can play
19th July 2016
The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) today welcomed the publication of the Housing Action Plan by Minister Simon Coveney and in particular the recommendation for a boost in social housing supply to 47,000 new units by 2021.
Commenting on the Plan, ICSH CEO Dr. Donal McManus said “the Plan and its prioritisation in Government is very welcome and in order for it to make a real impact a continued high level of political leadership will be required”.
Dr. McManus welcomed the emphasis on measures to prevent the growing problem of homelessness and the commitment to improve the situation for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector.
Dr. McManus stated “we particularly welcome the measures to underpin the work of housing associations including development of a co-ordination unit to assist housing association supply, the commitment to provide state land to housing associations and to support an SPV for the sector to utilise finance from non-state sources”. “The ICSH has sought these commitments for some time to assist the housing association sector to continue to provide much needed social housing”, he added.
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.”
Dr. McManus said, “The Action Plan for Housing has a twin track approach. We need to 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. The latter will be a significant ongoing challenge”.
The provision and assembly of large numbers of building sites for housing associations is essential to deliver an increased expanded social housing programme and the ICSH looks forward to greater detail on this aspect of the plan which is essential.
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.
