The current programme to support local authorities to return vacant social housing units to productive use commenced in 2014 and in that year and in 2015, my Department provided €60 million to support local authorities in returning over 5,000 vacant units to productive use. The programme for 2016 will see in excess of €24 million being provided for the remediation of a further 1,500 units.
My Department has recently implemented a new Exchequer funding programme alongside this programme to support local authorities in remediating more seriously derelict social houses; €8.5 million allocated under this programme will see approximately 170 units retrofitted and returned to productive use.
Submissions received from local authorities under these programmes are assessed by my Department. Funding is provided on the basis that the units are occupied immediately following works, with priority given to homeless families to the fullest extent possible and on the basis that no previous public funding has been provided in recent years for similar works on the units. It is also a requirement that photographic evidence (before/after) and post works BER data is provided.
Funding provided by my Department under the programmes to tackle vacant and derelict social housing units is on top of normal pre-letting works undertaken by local authorities. Many other vacated social units are repaired as part of the normal maintenance work that local authorities carry out continuously on their housing stock funded from their own resources.
The strong level of funding provided by my Department and the work undertaken by local authorities in tackling the backlog of vacant units that had accumulated has resulted in a reduced rate (1-2%) of vacancy reported by some local authorities.
