News

The Housing Agency presents a lunchtime webinar intended to provide insights into practical energy cost saving measures for multi-unit developments, and owners’ management companies. 

This event will be of interest to a wide audience- owners’ management companies, Approved Housing Bodies, property professionals, residents, local authority personnel, and other stakeholders in the multi-unit developments sector. 

Speakers

• Kate Joyce, Head of Sustainability and Strategic Projects, Túath Housing
• Nick Sheward, Director of Property Services, Túath Housing
• Alan Kavanagh, Managing Director Operations, IRES REIT Plc

Kate Joyce

Kate Joyce is Head of Sustainability and Strategic Projects with Túath Housing.  Kate has over 18 years’ experience across the property, investment, and asset management sectors.  She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, TU Dublin, and DCU.  Kate is an Associate Member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), holds a professional qualification in project management, and recently completed a master’s degree in public policy.

Nick Sheward

Nick Sheward is Director of Property Services with Túath Housing.  Nick has almost 35 years’ experience in construction and property, mainly in roles relating specifically to the provision and management of social and affordable housing.  He plays a leading role in the delivery of property services to Túath’s housing stock.  This includes building up investment profiles, managing planned and cyclical programmes, and the delivery of a responsive repairs service.

Alan Kavanagh

Alan Kavanagh is Managing Director Operations with IRES REIT Plc, a provider of almost 4,000 private rented homes in Dublin and Cork.  Alan has held senior roles in the property and facilities management industry.  Alan is a member of The Institute of Directors, and a graduate of TU Dublin.

The webinar will take place at 12.30pm on Wednesday, 4 October 2023.

Registration is free of charge via this Zoom link - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EVlqwYVxS8SFuBLUWjjuvA

Questions may be emailed to MUD@housingagency.ie

The session will be recorded for future use.

Places are limited to 1,000 attendees on a first-come first-served basis.

By registering for this webinar you consent for the purposes of event management to the processing by The Housing Agency of your personal data (name and email address).

Disclaimer

Information provided during the webinar is general in nature. It should not be considered to amount to legal advice, and no reliance should be placed on it. The Housing Agency and webinar speakers cannot be held responsible for actions or failure to act on foot of the information provided. There may be other issues or circumstances that would influence the comments provided. Professional advice might be necessary on individual circumstances.

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, 13th September 2023

Innovative ‘Housing Unlocked’ competition wins national award

The Housing Agency and the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) have been announced as category winners in the annual Business to Arts Awards 2023 for their joint initiative, ‘Housing Unlocked’.  The first phase of ‘Housing Unlocked’ was an open-call that called for architects, together with people from a variety of disciplines and members of the public with a common interest in housing, to team up and submit ideas that will maximise housing potential in our towns and cities. The open-call led to a public exhibition and talks programme, where audiences were encouraged to engage with the ideas on exhibit and to participate in lively debates and conversations on the future of housing in Ireland.

Housing Unlocked received the award in the ‘Best Creativity in the Community supported by Irish Life’ category. This category recognises initiatives and programmes that work with community groups to address specific issues, encourage community participation, bring new perspectives to creativity, and joy to those who engage with them.

Commenting on the announcement, Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency, said: “The Housing Agency welcomes the announcement of the Business to Arts awards. I’m delighted that our work with the Irish Architecture Foundation on ‘Housing Unlocked’ has been recognised in this way ‘Housing Unlocked’ looked for innovative and practical solutions that addressed the challenges we face when it comes to delivering homes. The initiative has been a huge success featuring an exhibition in the TCD Science Gallery from October 2022 to February 2023 which showcased inspiring solutions by architect-led teams from a range of backgrounds.

“The Business to Arts awards is testament to the importance of ongoing partnership between sectors to solve Ireland’s bigger issues and make a real social impact in our communities. I look forward to seeing how the ‘Housing Unlocked’ projects progress in the future and to the impact they make in the housing sector.”

Also speaking was Emmett Scanlon, Director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, who said: “The Irish Architecture Foundation are delighted that Housing Unlocked has been recognised by Business to Arts. The first exhibition of its kind in Ireland, Housing Unlocked demonstrates the powerful impact supporting the imagination of architects and others can have on innovative solutions to our housing needs and in creating vibrant, inclusive and sustainable villages, towns and cities. We in the IAF are committed to the subject of housing and to supporting architects and audiences to grow the desire for better ways of living together in Ireland.  We were truly delighted to work with The Housing Agency on this project.”

The awards were announced at an event on Tuesday, 12th September at the National Concert Hall and featured a range of categories that recognize arts sponsorship, commissioning, philanthropy, staff engagement programmes, corporate social responsibility, access programmes, creative community initiatives, and more.

Today, September 13th, the Supports Guide for Young People was launched by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien at the National Homeless Action Committee. 

Background

The Youth Homelessness Strategy was launched in November 2022. This is the first Youth Homelessness Strategy in two decades and it sets out 27 distinct actions to prevent young people entering homelessness, to improve the experiences of young people in emergency accommodation and to assist young people to exit homelessness.

When the Strategy was being developed, a lot of people raised the issue of young people being unaware of exactly what supports were out there for them.

Action 27 tasks The Housing Agency with producing a guide setting out supports available for young people. This guide seeks to address this concern and intends to be a useful resource which is easily accessible to all.

The Supports Guide for Young People brings together information on accessing a range of supports and services including:

• Social Welfare and Financial Supports
• Housing Options
• Employment and Education Supports
• Health and Childcare Supports

Note on Homelessness:

If you are homeless, rough sleeping or at risk of becoming homeless, you need to contact your local authority office. Depending on your location and your circumstances, different support services may be available to you. These include emergency accommodation and temporary accommodation, as well as family hubs.

The Supports Guide for Young People is available in English and Irish and there is also an Easy-to-Read version. Additionally, there is a directory of all the supports and services that are included in the guide as well as additional supports and services that are available nationally.

Supports Guide for Young People

• Supports Guide for Young People
• Supports Guide for Young People - Easy-to-Read
• Supports Guide for Young People - Irish

Service Directory

• List of Support Services Directory
• Local Authority Directory 

You can find the guide above, or on our Publications webpage here Supports Guide for Young People

The Housing Agency, acting on behalf of the Minister and in consultation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is seeking proposals from interested parties for the provision of 1,000 homes through a Targeted Leasing Initiative with local authorities to provide accommodation for households eligible for social housing support.

The objective of this open call for expressions of interest is to explore the possibility of delivering an additional 1,000 homes for social housing through a limited leasing intervention. The expression of interest will remain open until such time as 1,000 homes have been subscribed under the Targeted Leasing Initiative. The Long-term Leasing scheme under Housing for All remains unchanged and is still being phased out over the lifetime of Housing for All to the end of 2025.

The expression of interest document is available below.

Queries about the initiative should be submitted to leasing@housingagency.ie. 

Targeted Leasing Initiative - Expression of Interest Document

The Housing Agency is delighted to launch its Housing Education Bursary Scheme for the 2023/2024 academic year.

Recent years have seen significant developments in the areas of housing delivery and policy. Housing professionals will play a key role in shaping future developments in the sector. The Housing Agency is committed to supporting the education, training, and development of housing practitioners, as well as those interested in developing a career in housing. The Housing Education Bursary Scheme will empower housing professionals to build resilient and sustainable communities in Ireland.

The Bursary Scheme supports students and housing professionals seeking to enrol in housing studies courses offered by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) / Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), starting between September 2023 and January 2024. These include:

How to apply

The bursary awards are intended to support those who would otherwise be unable to secure funding for the full course fees from their organisation or other sources. 

Applicants can apply by downloading and completing the Bursary Application Form, and returning it as a PDF to training@housingagency.ie by the closing date/s outlined above.

PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, 18th July 2023

• Increased Cost Rental Eligibility Thresholds from 1 August 2023
• Changes to Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) ensuring AHBs can continue to deliver at scale

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and the Chief Executive of The Housing Agency, Bob Jordan, today launched the new Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) investment scheme. The Scheme aims to invest up to €750m in the delivery of over 4,000 Cost Rental homes, which will benefit from secure tenancies under Cost Rental housing legislation and will be let at a minimum of 25% below comparable market rental levels in high demand urban areas.

The Scheme, which was signaled by the government in April as a Cost Rental viability measure, will assist in addressing viability challenges for developments by providing equity investment to stimulate the creation of Cost Rental accommodation. Private providers and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) can apply to provide Cost Rental homes under the Scheme and the State will make an equity investment available in return for designation of the homes as Cost Rental homes for 50 years.

By increasing the supply of Cost Rental homes, the Scheme will benefit households who are disadvantaged by prevailing market rents, through providing an option of a home for rent at a more affordable level with security of tenure. The Scheme will also support the government’s objectives of compact growth and creating vibrant liveable cities for people who want to live close to work and urban amenities.

The STAR investment scheme will be managed by The Housing Agency on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Housing Agency will be accepting Expressions of Interest from proposers for eligible schemes from 1st August 2023. The Scheme is open to all providers including consortiums, Approved Housing Bodies etc. subject to the eligibility criteria outlined in the Scheme itself.

Commenting on the publication of details of the new Scheme, Minister O’Brien said:

“This new Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental investment scheme will increase the supply of safe and affordable Cost Rental homes at a scale which is crucial to make the rental market work for everybody. The Government is making record investment in housing and we are using every tool at our disposal to activate sites and to boost the construction of new homes at scale. This new scheme provides another avenue for our partners in Approved Housing Bodies, the LDA and our partners in the private sector to help us achieve our ambitious plans as set out under Housing for All.”

The Housing Agency’s CEO, Bob Jordan said:

“The introduction of the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental investment scheme is an important measure that will expand availability of the Cost Rental model and increase the supply of affordable and secure rental homes in high demand areas across Ireland. The Housing Agency looks forward to supporting the implementation of this Scheme. The first step will be inviting expressions of interest for eligible developments from the 1st August 2023.”  

In tandem with the launch of the new Scheme, the government is announcing increased income thresholds for Cost Rental homes, with net household income limits for eligibility of €66,000 in Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere. These will be introduced across the Cost Rental sector from the 1st August 2023, replacing the former national net income limit of €53,000. The increased thresholds recognise that prevailing rents in the private market have increased significantly in recent years and a large cohort of private renters are experiencing severe affordability challenges, particularly in Dublin. The new thresholds will apply to all Cost Rental homes provided under the Affordable Housing Act 2021.

The government has also agreed significant changes to the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) on foot of a recommendation from the Working Group on the Cost Rental Equity Loan. The CREL is available to Approved Housing Bodies which provide Cost Rental homes. The improved loan will see availability of increased levels of loan finance, together with new State equity investment which will improve the ability of Approved Housing Bodies to bring forward Cost Rental homes.

The suite of measures, including the changes to income eligibility, the new STAR investment scheme and the changes to the Cost Rental Equity Loan will work together to ensure that all the avenues for Cost Rental delivery are exploited to achieve the levels of supply needed under Housing for All.

ENDS

Contact:

Communications Manager at communications@housingagency.ie or STARIS@housingagency.ie

Further information

Cost Rental Eligibility

The net household income limit of €53,000 for Cost Rental was set in December 2021, at the time of the first delivery of Cost Rental homes. The real value of this has been eroded by significant inflation since then as capital costs, interest rates and prevailing rents in the private market have all increased. In response new income limits have been agreed which will apply across the Cost Rental sector to all delivery streams – by AHBs, Local Authorities, the LDA, and any Cost Rental landlord. The national net income limit will be raised to €59,000, while a specific Dublin limit will be set at €66,000, to have effect from 1st August 2023.

The Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) investment scheme

The Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental (STAR) investment scheme is intended to activate the delivery of Cost Rental homes to let at a minimum of 25% below comparable market rental levels.

The Scheme will be operated and managed on behalf of the Department by The Housing Agency. The Scheme is time limited and subject to a strict sunset clause. All units in receipt of investment will be completed by no later than two years after the commencement date or by the 31st December 2027, whichever is the shorter.

Funding of €0.75 billion will be made available under the Scheme with the expected delivery of over 4,000 homes.

Key Features of the STAR Investment Scheme

Open to all market operators: The Scheme is designed to be open to all market operators. The main criteria is that in exchange for the investment, operators must bring forward suitable proposals that:

• make available 10 plus residential units for Cost Rental tenure at rent levels of at least 25% below market levels. The proposals must deliver new units which have never been previously rented
• formally designate all units funded as Cost Rental dwellings for a period of 50 years.

It will be permissible for consortiums to apply, e.g., a developer may apply by agreement with the intended holder of the Cost Rental homes but the consortium must be led by the long-term owner, operator and manager of the units.

Level of Investment available: In recognition of the pronounced viability challenges in specific areas of Dublin, it is proposed that two rates of investment will apply under STAR, with a maximum investment of €175,000 in Dublin and €150,000 in the rest of the State. In order to incentivise green development, an additional investment of €25,000 will also be made available subject to meeting sustainable development criteria as set out in Section 7.13 of the scheme.

At the end of the term of the Agreement (50 years) there will be three options for operators:

• Extend the agreement for an agreed period (with the dwellings remaining in Cost Rental usage)
• Make a repayment to the State, together with an uplift if the asset has increased in value, and exit Cost Rental designation
• The State may exercise an option to purchase the dwellings from the owner for market value, taking account of the State’s investment in the properties

Changes to the Cost Rental Equity Loan

Overall State funding to increase from 45% up to 55% of capital costs, on a sliding scale as necessary for viability at appropriate rent levels.

CREL loans (on existing favourable terms) to be joined with new State equity investment element (up to a maximum of 20% equity).

‘Accelerated CREL’ pre-completion drawdowns to be extended to support AHBs in forward funding turn-key acquisition projects, in order to secure more competitive acquisition or development costs.

April

• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage released their monthly homelessness report for February 2023, which found that 8,369 adults and 3,373 children were accessing homelessness accommodation during the week of 20th – 26th February.
• The Government approved the publication of the General Scheme of the Land Value Sharing and Urban Development Zones Bill 2022.
• The Housing for All Q1 2023 Progress Report was published, which indicated there were 27,309 construction commencements in the last 12 months and 10, 263 social homes were delivered in 2022.
• The Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ Scheme was announced, which is available where a tenant household faces the termination of their tenancy due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. The Housing Agency is playing a key role in the new scheme.
• The Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report Q4 2022 was published and shows that 6,525 social homes are currently onsite with an additional 12,733 homes at design and tender stage. In Quarter 4 2022, 147 new The Housing Agency Page 5 of 10 construction schemes, (713 homes) were added to the pipeline. In total the Construction Status Report provides details on 30,766 new build social homes across 1,839 schemes.
• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage released their monthly homelessness report for March 2023, which found that 8,516 adults and 3,472 children were accessing homelessness accommodation during the week of 20th – 26th March 2023.

May

• On 1st May, The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, and the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell, announced €83.125 million in national funding for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older and Disabled People for 2023.This is a 2.3% increase on the initial 2022 funding allocation and represents a continuation of the year-on-year increases in the grant since 2014.
• On 4th May, The Cabinet agreed the publication of the Residential Construction Cost Study Report, a joint initiative of the Construction Sector Group and the government under the Housing for All strategy. The study promotes measures for a reduction in residential construction cost and increased standardisation in residential construction activities.
• The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant Statistics were published for January to March 2023. The findings indicated 767 applications had been received - 379 for Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and 387 for Derelict Property Top-up Grant. 312 applications had been approved and 43 applicated were rejected. 1 vacant property refurbishment grant had been issued by Mayo County Council.
• The Department of Housing has published its monthly data on the number of Commencements Notices (residential construction starts) for April 2023.The figures for April show a 10% increase on the same month last year.

June

• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage released their monthly Homeless Report for April 2023, which found that 8,665 adults and 3,594 children were in emergency accommodation during the week of 24th-30th April.
• The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage released their quarterly Local Authority Homeless Performance Report for Q1 2023, which indicated during Quarter 1 a a combined total of 1,454 adults, as well as their dependants, exited or were prevented from entering emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created, an increase of 15% on the same period last year.
• On 7th June, the ‘Our Living Islands’ policy was launched, which is a 10-year national policy for off-shore islands. The aim of the policy is to ensure that sustainable, vibrant communities can continue to live – and thrive – on the offshore islands for many years to come. This is the first new national islands policy in 27 years.
• The winners of the ‘Town Centre Living’ Architectural Design Competitions were announced - providing innovative designs for four social housing schemes in town centre sites in Castleblayney, Kildare, Roscrea and Sligo.
• The Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage is introducing a new pilot scheme to provide grants for expert conservation advice to owners of vacant farmhouses in private ownership who are availing of and/or considering the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. The Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Farmhouses will provide grants of up to €7,500 (ex VAT) to cover the cost of having a conservation expert with proven and appropriate expertise visit a property, conduct a survey, and compile tailored conservation advice for the property owner.

Relevant publications:

RTB Data Publication Update May 2023 – RTB - 30 May 2023

Irish Rental Report Q1 2023 – Daft.ie – 15 May 2023

‘Housing tenure, health and public healthcare coverage in Ireland’ – ESRI – 15th June 2023

‘The State of Housing in Europe’ – Housing Europe – 20th June 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, 22nd June 2023

New awareness campaign to be rolled out to increase visibility of National Housing Strategy for Disabled People

The Implementation Plan for the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 - 2027 was launched today (22.06.2023) by Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell, T.D., and the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, T.D. The Plan will deliver on the primary objective of the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027, which is ‘to facilitate disabled people to live independently with the appropriate choices and control over where, how and with whom they live, promoting their inclusion in the community’.

An awareness campaign on the Strategy and the Implementation Plan was also launched today.  The purpose of the campaign is to promote the Strategy and its Implementation Plan locally and nationally with stakeholders, the general public, and throughout the disability sector through various platforms.

The campaign will ensure the housing needs of disabled people are afforded a high level of visibility at local and national level in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UNCRPD principles.  The campaign will feature adverts in regional newspapers and news sites, the sharing of videos of disabled people on their views of the Strategy across online platforms, poster campaigns on public transport and in train stations.  It is expected that the local Housing and Disability Steering groups in each county in Ireland will build on the national campaign and undertake awareness raising activities in their areas.  The awareness campaign will be ongoing and run for the lifetime of the Strategy.

Welcoming the launch of the Implementation Plan and the awareness campaign, Bob Jordan, Chief Executive Officer of The Housing Agency, said “We welcome the launch of the Implementation Plan for the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People. This implementation plan aims to provide real sustainable housing solutions for disabled people, and for delivery to be done in a coordinated and collaborative way. Furthermore, the awareness campaign that is being launched today is an opportunity to raise awareness with disabled people, families, the general public and others on the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People and the emphasis it places on disabled people being supported to live independently and be included in the community, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

The Strategy and the Implementation Plan were developed under the guiding principles of Housing for All – the Government’s housing plan to 2030.  The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 was launched in January 2022 and is available here.

The Implementation Plan for the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 is available to view here.

ENDS

Contact:

Sarah Kennedy, Communications Manager at communications@housingagency.ie or mobile 086 371 5628

The Housing Agency and Housing Europe co-hosted an event entitled The Ground Beneath Our Feet - public land use and delivery of affordable housing on the 7th June at the Social Housing Festival in Barcelona. 

Land is fundamental to the delivery of housing. It is literally the foundation upon which housing is built, and those who control it, thus, also effectively control the delivery of new housing. In the context of insufficient availability of affordable housing in many regions, this event will look at the different ways in which government is using strong land management policies to boost the delivery of new social & affordable homes. This workshop included presentations from a variety of experts, listed below:

12:40-12:45 | Welcoming remarks and event agenda
• Dara Turnbull, Housing Europe
12:45-13:05 | Active public land management toolkit – The #Housing2030 approach
• Julie Lawson, RMIT University
13:05-13:15 | Starting from scratch – the new Irish Land Development Agency
• Dearbhla Lawson, Irish Land Development Agency
13:15-13:25 | Managing a scarce resource – public land management in Barcelona
• Ivan Ruiz Gallardo, Barcelona Municipal Housing Department
13:25-13:35 | Public land management that drives innovation – the Vienna model
• Bernd Riessland from the Austrian Federation of Limited-Profit Housing Associations (GBV), Vienna
13:35-13:45 | Public land management in a housing system in transition
• Mojca Štritof-Brus, Housing Fund of the Republic of Slovenia
13:45-14:00 | Q&A with the speakers
• Moderated by Dara Turnbull, Housing Europe

A full recording of the event can be viewed on our YouTube channel: The Ground Beneath Our Feet full recording.

Slides from the event can be downloaded here: The Ground Beneath Our Feet slides.

You may also be interested in The Housing Agency's series of webinars on land, more information can be found here: Talking about Land series.

Finally, the Housing 2030 report is an excellent resource which can be accessed here: Housing 2030 report.

The speaker presentations from the Housing Practitioners' Conference, held in The Strand Hotel, Co. Limerick on the 11th and 12th May have been published. 

The conference, organised by The Housing Agency, in collaboration with the Institute of Public Administration addressed the theme "Housing for All: Lessons from Practice". There were a number of plenary sessions with presentations on sustainability, supply, vacancy, affordability and more. The conference featured a range of workshops on topics including modern methods of construction, trauma-informed care, Traveller specific accommodation and approved housing body regulation. 

Download the speaker presentations linked in the attached programme here: Housing Practitioners' Conference Presentations 

Download the full agenda from the day here: Housing Practitioners' Conference Programme