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.
Social housing targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and are available on my Department’s website, along with the provisional funding allocations, at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm.
A further breakdown of these targets has been provided to the local authorities, details of which are as follows:
|
Local Authority build and acquisition/
Approved Housing Body via the Capital Assistance Scheme/
Return of vacant properties
|
|
Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme
|
|
Rental Accommodation Scheme
|
Local Authority
|
2015/7
|
2015
|
2016/7
|
2015
|
2016/7
|
Carlow County Council
|
94
|
65
|
195
|
40
|
41
|
Cavan County Council
|
60
|
25
|
58
|
53
|
44
|
Clare County Council
|
124
|
75
|
215
|
57
|
58
|
Cork City Council
|
643
|
128
|
365
|
105
|
108
|
Cork County Council
|
401
|
170
|
494
|
75
|
77
|
DLR County Council
|
316
|
75
|
138
|
75
|
77
|
Donegal County Council
|
170
|
65
|
179
|
46
|
47
|
Dublin City Council
|
1498
|
425
|
1201
|
110
|
113
|
Fingal County Council
|
396
|
200
|
557
|
110
|
113
|
Galway City Council
|
136
|
90
|
251
|
20
|
21
|
Galway County Council
|
144
|
80
|
230
|
80
|
74
|
Kerry County Council
|
304
|
130
|
367
|
127
|
130
|
Kildare County Council
|
433
|
180
|
508
|
80
|
82
|
Kilkenny County Council
|
215
|
103
|
310
|
39
|
19
|
Laois County Council
|
158
|
35
|
145
|
15
|
13
|
Leitrim County Council
|
20
|
20
|
38
|
20
|
21
|
Limerick City and County
|
293
|
100
|
291
|
34
|
35
|
Longford County Council
|
34
|
35
|
79
|
30
|
32
|
Louth County Council
|
288
|
115
|
328
|
23
|
24
|
Mayo County Council
|
146
|
50
|
137
|
115
|
118
|
Meath County Council
|
134
|
75
|
209
|
50
|
51
|
Monaghan County Council
|
55
|
30
|
79
|
20
|
21
|
Offaly County Council
|
75
|
73
|
207
|
15
|
15
|
Roscommon County Council
|
25
|
15
|
3
|
55
|
54
|
Sligo County Council
|
101
|
20
|
48
|
65
|
67
|
Sth Dublin County Council
|
350
|
200
|
561
|
165
|
169
|
Tipperary County Council
|
287
|
90
|
252
|
100
|
103
|
Waterford City and County
|
164
|
120
|
336
|
69
|
71
|
Westmeath County Council
|
148
|
72
|
226
|
52
|
44
|
Wexford County Council
|
114
|
89
|
251
|
110
|
113
|
Wicklow County Council
|
156
|
50
|
142
|
45
|
45
|
Under capital funding provided by my Department, local authorities will build and acquire social housing units, will support approved housing bodies to provide units via the Capital Assistance Scheme for special needs situations and will support the return of vacant properties to productive use. I have already announced, on 5 May 2015, the first major social housing construction programme under the Social Housing Strategy. This announcement covers some 100 separate housing projects, to provide over 1,700 new social housing units across all 31 local authorities. Details are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.
In 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided, broken down as follows:
- 3,000 units under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme;
- 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) units;
- 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies; and
- 1,000 vacant local authority units will be returned to use.
Social Housing units under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) are delivered 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. Funding for the SHCEP and the Rental Accommodation Scheme is provided on a national basis without individual local authority (or approved housing body in the case of SHCEP) funding allocations.