PRESS RELEASE
Monday, 7th November 2016
The contribution of housing associations in a housing market starved of new supply has been spotlighted by the Irish Council for Social Housing. Justin O’Brien, President of the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), speaking today (7 November 2016) at the organisation’s AGM in the Ashling Hotel Dublin, reported that 2,412 households were accommodated in 2015 and a further 2,400 are expected to be approved in 2016. But the impact of housing associations on reducing the number of households on an ever-growing housing waiting list consistently fails to be recognised.
At the AGM, the ICSH called on the Government to address the incomplete action on key commitments identified in the recently published Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness progress report. Dr. Donal McManus, CEO of the ICSH expressed his concern at the lack of progress on the establishment of a coordination unit, a one-stop-shop, to support housing associations. “This unit was to be established in quarter three 2016 to provide sites for new builds by housing associations and to ensure better coordination across the various funding streams. Housing associations have ramped-up their capacity in order to deliver one-third of the Government’s social housing target of 47,000 homes to the tune of approximately €1 billion. To do this, we need sites delivered, and a coordination unit to manage a development pipeline for housing supply.”
Justin O’Brien, President of the ICSH further emphasised the need for a partnership approach between housing associations, the Department of Housing and the construction industry. “It is essential that the construction industry rise to the challenge of delivering affordably-priced housing. The trend for new builds in the Dublin region priced at levels for affluent buyers is not helping to relieve the pressure at the lower and middle end of the market”, he added.
Further concrete actions to progress the commitments of Rebuilding Ireland were identified at the Irish Council for Social Housing’s AGM. These include:
- an active land management plan for residential building sites for social housing;
- real collaboration and political leadership at local level to support social housing;
- facilitating housing associations to use more vacant homes to meet housing need;
- overcoming administrative hurdles to allow housing associations to raise greater levels of private loan finance; and
- new rapid build methods of housing (modular housing) used as a standard social housing delivery vehicle, and not just for emergency housing.
ENDS
Contact: Ken Reid, Information and Communications Coordinator, Irish Council for Social Housing. Tel: 01 6618334; Email: kenreid@icsh.ie
Notes for Editors
- The first Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness quarterly progress report identifies 17,434 hectares of land zoned residential nationally (serviced and un-serviced), enough for 414,000 new homes. In Dublin, there are enough lands to deliver 50,000 new homes with planning permission already in place for 27,000 new homes across the metropolitan area. The progress report can be downloaded at www.rebuildingireland.ie.
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.
- 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 ICSH Annual Report 2015 can be downloaded here.
