Budget 2017: Social housing for more than 21,000 households on the cards for next year

Social housing schemes are to provide homes for more than 21,000 households next year but only one sixth of that will be through new building.

Just over 3,500 homes are scheduled to be built by local authorities and voluntary housing bodies and about 1,000 more will be provided through bringing vacant homes back into use, leasing properties and providing new units under the National Regeneration Programme.

The biggest inroads will be made through a major expansion of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme which will be extended to 15,000 extra households at an additional cost of €105m — a 220% increase on the 2016 funding.