There are two primary funding mechanisms provided by my Department to facilitate the delivery of properties for social housing purposes by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to AHBs to provide accommodation for people with specific needs. The persons being housed must be assessed by the local authorities as in need of housing (a loan of 95% may be advanced where the AHB chooses to retain the right to nominate 25% of tenancies).
My Department also provides financial support to AHBs in the form of a long term loan under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) to assist with the financing of the construction or acquisition of units that will be provided for social housing use. This loan facility can support up to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the project, where the units will be provided by the AHB under long-term lease arrangements (known as Payment and Availability Agreements and funded by the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) to local authorities for social housing use.
Both schemes are administered by local authorities, and funding advanced to AHBs is subsequently recouped from my Department in line with the terms and conditions of the relevant scheme.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on all social housing delivery, including AHB delivery. This is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: https://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
