Social housing is key priority for this Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for it in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014. The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the circa 90,000 households on the housing waiting lists.
Of the supply of over 35,000 additional social housing units out to 2020 under the Strategy, almost 12,200 are to be delivered through capital-funded programmes, namely local authority housing construction and acquisitions, the Capital Assistance Scheme and the return of vacant social housing units to use. Social housing targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm.
On 5 May 2015, I announced the first major direct build social housing programme under the Social Housing Strategy. This announcement covers over 100 separate housing projects across all 31 local authorities and details are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.
The new social housing units covered in that announcement – more than 1,700 in total - will be built by local authorities. Local authorities may also acquire new social housing units where suitable units are available and where their acquisition would provide value for money. My Department does not prescribe the exact number of units that local authorities must build or acquire within their overall targets.
Social Housing units are also delivered under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) through:
- Local Authority units leased or rented;
- Approved Housing Body units constructed, acquired or leased; and
- NAMA special purpose vehicle owned units.
There is no specific breakdown of the individual local authority targets between these delivery mechanisms, however it is expected that 1,000 units from the 3,000 national SHCEP target will be delivered by Approved Housing Bodies in 2015. Each Local Authority is best placed to determine how best to meet their individual SHCEP targets using all the delivery mechanisms available to them and taking account of the housing circumstances in their area.
The implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a key Government priority and a major pillar of the Social Housing Strategy 2020. The HAP scheme will bring all social housing supports provided by the State under the aegis of local authorities. The scheme will remove a barrier to employment by allowing recipients to remain in the scheme if they gain full-time employment. HAP will also improve regulation of the rented accommodation being supported and provide certainty for landlords as regards their rental income.
Further to the enactment of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 on 28 July 2014, the first phase of the HAP statutory pilot commenced with effect from 15 September 2014 in Limerick City and County Council, Waterford City and County Council and Cork County Council. HAP commenced in Louth, Kilkenny, South Dublin and Monaghan County Councils from 1 October. Subsequently, on 18 December, Dublin City Council became part of the statutory HAP pilot, with a specific focus on accommodating homeless households. Dublin City Council is implementing the HAP pilot for homeless households in the Dublin region on behalf of all 4 Dublin local authorities.
There are now over 1,600 households in receipt of HAP across the local authority areas taking part in the statutory pilot scheme.
During the legislation’s passage through the Oireachtas in July 2014, an undertaking was given that a progress report would be prepared for the relevant Oireachtas Committee. I can confirm that data from the pilot sites has been gathered and I submitted a report to the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht last month. Based on the findings of that review, consideration is currently being given to the sequencing of a further cohort of local authorities to commence HAP on an incremental basis this year.
The Strategy is based on a multi-annual approach to delivery over two phases:
- Phase 1, building on Budget 2015 announcements – a target of 32,000 HAP/RAS units by end 2017;
- Phase 2, 2018-2020 – a target of 43,000 HAP/RAS units by end 2020.
Further to this, the delivery target for the HAP scheme in 2015 is 8,400.
