Government’s housing strategy: Time for action to tackle crisis

WHEN Environment Minister Alan Kelly announced the Government’s new social housing strategy last November, it was given a broad welcome, that at last something was being done about our homeless crisis and the endless housing lists.

It was, however, also widely seen as an attempt by the Labour Party to bolster support in the run-up to next year’s general election. At the time, Mr Kelly said the Government was committed to spending €3.8 billion to build and refurbish 35,000 social housing units over the next five years.

The ambitious strategy – the first comprehensive housing plan since the mid 1990s – promises to effectively eliminate the housing waiting list of 90,000 by 2020.