The Housing Agency is delighted to announce the winner of the 2023 Housing Agency Essay Prize competition. This prize is awarded to the most original student essay submitted for assessment as part of the Institute of Public Administration’s Professional Diploma in Housing Studies. This year’s winner is:

Killian O'Sullivan for the essay entitled “Childcare Provision in New Housing” which has been published on our website here.

In addition, there were two runner-up prizes awarded. These were:

Malachy Egan for the essay entitled “The Land Development Agency – A Structural Analysis within Irish Housing Policy”

and

Stephen Owens for the essay entitled “Do publicly available statistics and associated commentary improve our understanding of the Irish housing market.”

The Housing Agency would like to congratulate the winner and the runners-up on the quality of their essays, the originality of their research, and their engagement with public policy.

The Housing Agency is committed to supporting the education, training, and development of Ireland’s housing practitioners.

For more information on the education and training options available for housing practitioners, please see www.housingtraining.ie.

Information about the Institute of Public Administration’s Professional Diploma in Housing Studies, as well as other courses relevant to housing practitioners, can be found here and here.

 

The Housing Agency is delighted to announce that it has been officially recognised as one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland™ in 2024.

The Housing Agency was recognised at the 22nd annual Great Place to Work Awards on Wednesday, 28th February 2024 which took place in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin.

Ireland's Best Workplaces™ 2024 is a list recognising the top certified organisations of all sizes and industry sectors in Ireland.

The Best Workplaces in Ireland 2024 Irish Times special report will be published on Thursday 29th February in The Irish Times and the Irish Examiner newspapers. There will be a digital version hosted on the Best Workplaces website and on The Irish Times website. The special report will outline which organisations made the 2024 list, key insights on what makes a great workplace culture, and a look into Ireland's influence in the European market.

You can read more about Best Workplaces here https://www.greatplacetowork.ie/great-workplaces/irelands-best-workplaces/irelands-best-workplaces-2023/

To be considered for Ireland's Best Workplaces™ recognition, participating organisations are required to be Certified™ as a Great Place to Work in Ireland first.

The Housing Agency received the Great Place to Work certification in October 2023. The Great Place to Work certification demonstrates The Housing Agency's commitment to providing an excellent working environment for staff to feel proud and valued for the work they do. As part of the certification process, staff in The Housing Agency were surveyed about their perception of their work experience and working environment in a Trust Index survey which consisted of 73 confidential questions.

The Housing Agency is a state agency that supports the delivery of high-quality homes and thriving communities. We are a growing organisation, looking for motivated problem solvers who want to create a better Ireland.

Find more information about our career opportunities here - https://www.housingagency.ie/careers

The Housing Agency presents a webinar about waste management/segregation, and recycling in multi-unit developments (MUDs), mainly apartments.  Expert speakers from a Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority (WERLA), and the Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA), will discuss legal obligations for stakeholders, good practice, and developments in the sector.

The webinar will be of interest to people involved with multi-unit developments, including directors of owners’ management companies, licensed property management professionals, apartment residents, waste management providers, Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.

The hour long webinar will take place at 1.00pm on Wednesday, 13 March 2024.

Registration for this event is required via this Zoom link.

When you register a confirmation email will issue containing information about how to join the webinar.

Questions for the webinar Q&A may be emailed in advance before 12pm on Friday, 8 March 2024 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, WERLA, IWMA, and webinar speakers may not be held responsible for actions or failure to act on foot of the information provided.  Legal or other professional advice should be sought on individual circumstances.

 

 

The Housing Agency's online webinar series Trauma Informed Care concludes its current online programme on March 27th, 2024, with a highly insightful and engaging webinar Trauma Informed Care: Vicarious Trauma Self Care for Practitioners. 

In this session, Dr. Briege Casey, Associate Professor at DCU, and Gary Broderick, CEO, The SAOL Project, will give presentations and discuss Vicarious Trauma Self Care for Practitioners. Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency will also speak and outline the program next stages. 

The webinar will be chaired by Gráinne Johnston, Administrative Officer at The Housing Agency. 

NOTE: A previous webinar in the series entitled, "An Introduction to Trauma Informed Care for Housing Practitioners" is available to view and recommended viewing before attending this event. You can view the recording of the webinar here – Recording

The event takes place at 2pm on Tuesday February 20th. Register now at this link - Webinar Registration - Zoom

Please note that these online events do not train participants to become trauma therapists but assist in helping housing practitioners become trauma aware.

The Housing Agency and the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) present a lunchtime webinar intended to provide an overview of the regulation of licensed property management agents engaged by owners’ management companies of multi-unit developments such as apartments.  

Maeve Hogan, Chief Executive Officer of the PSRA, will discuss the Authority’s regulatory role as it applies to property management agents, governing legislation, consumer protections, and related matters. 

The webinar will be of interest to people involved with multi-unit developments, including directors of owners’ management companies, licensed property management professionals, residents, Approved Housing Bodies, and Local Authorities.  

The hour long webinar will take place at 12.30pm on Wednesday 28 February 2024. 

Registration for this free event is required via this Zoom Link. 

Upon registration a confirmation email will issue with information about how to join the webinar.

Questions for the webinar Q&A may be emailed in advance before 12pm on Friday 23 February 2024 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 and the PSRA 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.  Neither The Housing Agency nor the Property Services Regulatory Authority may be held responsible for actions or failure to act on foot of the information provided.  Legal or other professional advice should be sought on individual circumstances.

Pictured L-R Michael Carey, Chairman, The Housing Agency; Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Mayo County Council; Seamus De Faoite, Senior Executive Officer, Cork County Council; Fiona Lawless, Head of Finance, Meath County Council and Bob Jordan, CEO, The Housing Agency. 

Press Release 

Originally issued Wednesday, 24th January 2024.

Seamus De Faoite, a Senior Executive Officer at Cork County Council, was awarded a Leadership in Housing bursary by The Housing Agency in Cork last week.

Launched in September 2023 at its Leadership in Housing conference, The Housing Agency’s new annual bursary award will support students to enroll on the Diploma in Leadership Development course at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, geared towards experienced managers in decision-making positions.

Commenting on the bursary and The Housing Agency’s ongoing activity in Cork, Michael Carey, Chairman of the Board, said; “At The Housing Agency, we firmly believe that brave and thoughtful leadership is required to bring about real, positive change to meet our housing needs. Last September we held our Leadership in Housing conference, where we announced this new bursary, contributing towards fulfilling one of our core goals of building capacity in the housing sector. We need to ensure that we continue to develop strong leadership and nurture those leading housing organisations.

“Agile and impactful leaders are crucial to developing a well-resourced, motivated, and expert housing sector that can effectively adapt to change and overcome challenges to deliver new homes and thriving communities.”

Commenting on receiving the bursary award, Seamus De Faoite, Senior Executive Officer at Cork County Council, said; “I’m looking forward to furthering my leadership skills and bringing new knowledge to my role as senior executive officer in Cork County Council’s Housing Directorate. The opportunity to enroll in the Diploma in Leadership Development will be hugely beneficial to my career and the work I do in the housing sector.”

Building sectoral capacity is just one of The Housing Agency’s remits; it has also been managing and supporting a number of projects in Cork, including Croí Cónaithe (Cities) and the Cost Rental Equity Loan Scheme. These projects are part of work that The Housing Agency does to support the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in delivering the national Housing for All plan.

Under the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) scheme, which aims to bridge the current viability gap between the cost of building apartments and the market sale price, there are currently 372 owner-occupier apartments in development in locations across Cork City. In total the scheme is planned to support the building of 5,000 apartments across five cities for sale to owner-occupiers up to 2026.

The Cost Rental Equity Loan, also provided by The Housing Agency, is a method for funding the delivery of Cost Rental housing by Approved Housing Bodies. Two cost rental schemes have delivered a total of 105 dwellings in Cork to date.

 

ENDS

 

Contact: Sara Byrne / Sorcha Mac Mahon, Alice Public Relations, Tel: 086-395 6396/ 087-7585337, Email: media@alicepr.com

 

Notes to Editors:

About The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency supports the development of sustainable communities across Ireland. It works to meet the nation’s housing needs by:

• Co-ordinating programmes that can transform how we live. 
• Providing technical support to accelerate the delivery of housing projects.
• Using data and research to provide evidence-based solutions.
• Advising the Government on housing policies.
• Collaborating with all those involved in the housing sector in Ireland to ensure we are working as effectively as possible. 

A State-funded body, The Housing Agency works mainly with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and non-profit housing providers.

Follow The Housing Agency on:

• X: @HousingAgencyIE
• LinkedIn: @HousingAgencyIE
• Facebook: @HousingAgencyIE

 

 

 

The Housing Agency's online webinar series Trauma Informed Care continues on February 20th, 2024, with a highly relevant and practical session Trauma Informed Care in Homelessness Services Settings.

In this webinar, Niamh Randall, Head of Advocacy and Communications in Respond and Una Burns, Head of Advocacy and Communications in Novas will give presentations outlining their organisation's methodologies and lessons learnt implementing trauma informed care in a homelessness services setting.

The webinar will be chaired by Rob Lowth, Head of Housing First, The Housing Agency.

NOTE: A previous webinar in the series entitled, "An Introduction to Trauma Informed Care for Housing Practitioners" is available to view and recommended viewing before attending this event. You can view the recording of the webinar here – Recording

The event takes place at 2pm on Tuesday February 20th. Register now at this link - Webinar Registration - Zoom

Please note that these online events do not train participants to become trauma therapists but assist in helping housing practitioners become trauma aware.

The Housing Agency will launch new guidance Multi-Unit Developments – A Guide to Insurance at a webinar to be held at 12.30pm on Tuesday 30 January 2024.

Expenditure on insurance is one of the biggest costs incurred by an owners’ management company (OMC) of a multi-unit development such as an apartment block.  This new guide to be launched at the webinar is intended to help directors of OMCs to navigate the subject of insurance. 

The guide will be of interest to Approved Housing Bodies and Local Authorities, licensed property management agents, homeowners, renters, investors / landlords, insurance professionals, and others providing services to multi-unit developments.

Registration for this free event is required via this link.

Upon registration a confirmation email will issue with information about how to join the webinar.

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.  Legal or other professional advice should be sought on individual circumstances.

Today The Housing Agency published the Q4 2023 External Stakeholder Newsletter. You can read the newsletter here -  Read the newsletter 

In this edition you will find details on the Land for Affordable Housing Conference held at the beginning of December, various recent and upcoming publications, an update on MUDs events and you can find information on the Leadership in Housing Bursary Award which closed on Friday 15th December -  among many other things! The newsletter also contains a section on useful links and resources. 

To subscribe to our newsletter and keep up to date with housing news and events click on this link to subscribe.  

Read our previous stakeholder newsletters here - The Housing Agency External Stakeholder Newsletter | The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency's online webinar series Trauma Informed Care continues on January 29th 2024 with a highly insightful webinar for housing practitioners, Implementing Trauma Informed Care in Professional Practice. 

In this session, Dr. Maria Lotty, Lecturer and Senior Coordinator for Health and Social Care Programmes at the Centre for Adult Continuing Education, University College Cork will provide an overview of Trauma Informed Care from the perspective of direct, front line professional practice including the use of the highly practical TARA model (Trauma, Attachment, Resilience into Action), which she has developed.

The webinar will be chaired by Patrick McCarthy, Head of Local Authority Services at The Housing Agency.

NOTE: A previous webinar in the series entitled, "An Introduction to Trauma Informed Care for Housing Practitioners" is available to view and recommended viewing before attending this event. You can view the recording of the webinar here - webinar.

The event takes place at 12 noon on Monday January 29th. Register now at this link - Registration 

Please note that these online events do not train participants to become trauma therapists but assist in helping housing practitioners become trauma aware.