-Housing Association Sector Launches its 2018 Social Housing Completions Report –
Wednesday 15th May 2019
Today, the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) will launch the Housing Association Activity Report 2018. Ireland’s housing association sector provided 3,219 social homes in 2018, 38% of the national total, and took more than 4,000 households off the social housing waiting list. 54% were new build social homes provided by ICSH members to households on the social housing waiting list, 33% were acquisitions and 13% were leased.
Dr. Donal McManus, ICSH Chief Executive stated: “these figures reflect the dedication of our member organisations in responding to housing need across Ireland. Rebuilding Ireland’s 2018 construction and acquisition target for our sector was 2,460 and we exceeded this by delivering 2,805. We’ve delivered 6,700 homes since Rebuilding Ireland was launched and we expect to reach our 2021 target of 15,000 social homes. In fact, we believe we can exceed it. Our current pipeline is almost 5,000 homes, but we need to ensure that any obstacle to delivering on this is removed”.
The ICSH is calling for the Government to publish the bill to establish the Land Development Agency as a matter of urgency. The Land Development Agency was initiated in September 2018 to develop State lands for housing development and regeneration. However, the legislation that underpins the agency’s model of delivery has not as yet been published. “The agency will have a commercial remit like NAMA, so it is really important that the legislation is open to public scrutiny as soon as possible. We’re also calling for the LDA to ring-fence at least 30% of housing on state lands for social housing and 20% for affordable housing, so both local authorities and housing associations can deliver at the scale required”, Dr McManus added.
Housing Association Activity in 2018
- Almost 40% of new long-term social housing units were delivered by housing associations (also known as AHBs) in 2018.
- AHBs increased their output from 1,312 homes in 2015 to 3,219 homes in 2018.
- 2/3 of all AHB homes in 2018 were concentrated in 9 local authority areas, reflecting the higher demand for social housing in urban areas.
- 340 homes were delivered by AHBs under the Part V mechanism.
- AHBs have delivered 6,697 homes under Rebuilding Ireland since 2016.
Measures to Boost Housing
- Utilise state land extensively for the delivery of social and affordable rental housing.
- Strengthen the partnership with housing associations and local councils by supporting the transfer of sites/developments in council ownership to housing associations.
- European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) should continue to support social and affordable housing, with the financial commitment reflecting the scale of the problem.
- Support the reversal of the Eurostat classification of housing associations to their prior status as Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households (NPISH), i.e. ‘Off-balance sheet’.
