Broad welcome for new social Housing Strategy

A new plan by government to clear the 90,000 waiting list for social housing has been welcomed by support groups, but with a warning that much more work is needed to ease the crisis.

Alan Kelly, the environment minister, introduced Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reform, and pledged it would be “executed in full” and delivered in two phases.

In the first phase, the target is 18,000 additional housing units and 32,000 HAP/RAS (Housing Assistance Payment /Rental Accommodation Scheme) units to be delivered by the end of 2017.

NABCO, the representative body for housing co-operative, welcomed the new strategy, in particular what it said were five key points: multi-annual funding for AHBs (Approved Housing Bodies); the prioritising of investment in AHBs seeking to expand; streamlined funding approval for AHB delivery; greater collaboration between AHBs and local government at a local and regional level; and improved regulation.

Simon Brooke, Clúid’s head of policy, said while ambitious and welcome, the new strategy was “only a start”,.

Bob Jordan, the chief executive of Threshold, said he was concerned it would need to have a speedy impact on the problems facing families at risk of homelessness now.

The Irish Council for Social Housing welcomed the plan, as did the Simon Communities, which demanded measures to alleviate those facing homelessness now.

The Peter McVerry Trust, a homeless and housing trust, also welcomed the announcement, with CEO Pat Doyle claiming the acquisition of properties would allow approved housing bodies to bring social housing units into use much quicker than new build schemes.

However, he believes in the early years of the strategy, priority should be given to homeless families, claiming the “ring fencing of a relatively small number of units” would help alleviate homelessness.

“We would now urge the Government to establish the relevant task forces and work streams as quickly as possible to maintain the momentum that exists around this issue at present,” he said.