Minister O’Brien launches ISHF25 which will gather thousands of people in the city next June
Ireland is set to host a major international event focusing on social housing which will bring an estimated 2,000 people together in Dublin next summer. Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, today officially launched the 2025 edition of the International Social Housing Festival (ISHF) which will take place at the Convention Centre, Dublin from June 4-6.
The festival is an initiative of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing that gathers industry experts from around the world to exchange experiences, learnings and shared goals.
The three-day event will feature discussions around international social and affordable housing projects with a focus on affordable homes for young people. There will also be sessions on climate, energy, and innovation in housing delivery. Delegates will also get the chance to visit projects around Dublin during the event.
Today’s launch event took place at the F2 community centre in Rialto, which was established as part of the regeneration of the Fatima Mansions complex. Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: “Social and affordable homes are an invaluable part of our housing stock and have played an important role in Irish society for many decades. While acknowledging housing challenges, the strength of the current pipeline for social homes indicates that the 11,938 new social homes delivered by local authorities and AHBs in 2023 will be surpassed this year.
“Hosting this event in Ireland will bring excellent international insights and promote the exchange of ideas from all sectors. ISHF is an excellent opportunity to foster a productive atmosphere to collaboratively work towards delivering Housing for All.’’
Addressing the launch event today, Dublin’s Lord Mayor James Geoghegan, welcomed the opportunity to showcase the city, he said:
“I’m so delighted we’ve been able to come to F2 for today’s launch. ISHF25 is going to have “Storytelling” as its theme and there is no better place that lends itself to that topic than a thriving community centre in the heart of our city.
“As Dubliners, we all know we have housing challenges in this city, but we are making steps towards providing more homes and crucially more affordable homes. The International Social Housing Festival will be an opportunity to show our visitors what sort of homes we are delivering and regenerating with site visits within Dublin City and across the other Dublin local authorities – Fingal, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Productive partnerships between all involved is so important. The organisation of ISHF 2025 is an example of these effective partnerships, ensuring the event is a success.”
This is the fifth edition of the ISHF, which was previously hosted by Amsterdam, Lyon, Helsinki and Barcelona. In awarding the hosting of ISHF25 to Ireland, Housing Europe pointed to several factors including existing regeneration projects across Dublin and nationwide.
Social housing currently makes up less than 10% of housing in Ireland, while the European average of social affordable housing is 18%. The recent Housing Commission report stated that “There should be a targeted increase in the proportion of social and cost-rental housing to 20% of the national stock, ensuring an appropriate tenure mix.”
Donal McManus, CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing – which is hosting ISHF – said; “Housing is at a pinch point globally but together we can learn from each other, and this is why ISHF is such a brilliant opportunity. If we look back to projects such Iveagh trust developed through the Guinness Family, they were fantastic examples of social housing well over a century ago developing communities – we have a long history of providing excellent social housing and I strongly believe increasing supply and providing long term public housing tenancies would now be major steps forward for our housing sector.”
Sorcha Edwards, Secretary General Housing Europe, said; “While news of the housing crisis dominates, every day at local level in Ireland and around Europe, we also see proof that we can change the housing paradigm to focus on people and communities. The ISHF, in Amsterdam, Lyon, Helsinki, Lyon and Barcelona has proven to be a great way to put a spotlight on those success stories and mobilise around the need for decent housing for all. Some may question the timing of the Festival in view of how the housing crisis is impacting lives in Ireland, while we argue that precisely for this reason this is the right time for Dublin to take up the baton.”
The International Social Housing Festival takes place from the 4-6 June 2025. Full details and registration are available via www.socialhousingfestival.eu/
