06 October 2016
**PRESS STATEMENT**
ICSH WELCOMES LAUNCH OF SOCIAL HOUSING INITIATIVE AND COMMITMENT TO 26,000 NEW BUILDS
“The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) warmly welcomes today’s launch of Pillar 2: Accelerate Social Housing, the second of five action initiatives to be launched from the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland housing action plan. Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney TD, has today committed to a social housing programme that will see 26,000 social houses and apartments built over the next five years, in addition to 11,000 acquisitions and 10,000 homes leased to Local Authorities and Housing Associations. We welcome, in particular, the Government’s commitment to move quickly on a pilot Repair and Lease (RLS) scheme that will fast-track 5,000 privately-owned vacant housing for use as social homes. ICSH housing association members are ready to work in partnership to deliver on these commitments, with the sector already positioned to deliver 5,500 social homes over the next three years.
Rebuilding Ireland contains crucial measure on efficient land management and the provision of infrastructure to service housing development. The Government want housing associations to deliver 15,000 of the 47,000 Rebuilding Ireland social homes by 2021. And we’re ready to do this, but first and foremost, we need access to sites.
Today’s social housing action measures also sees the launch of the report on Housing with Supports for Older People, a model for strategic partnership, synergy and innovation in housing. The ICSH is proud to be part of the Working Group that has advanced a ‘housing with support’ model for older people that will see the development of a 50/60-unit scheme in partnership with Dublin City Council, the Health Service Executive and designed, built and managed by an approved housing body. Housing associations have an excellent track record of delivering supported housing options for older people across the country. (mapping-housing-projects-older-people ).”
