Irish Times-Budget* Wednesday, 15 October 2014 Page: 2
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10,000social houses to be built by 2018 Investment package of €2.2 billion may include private-sector funding Peter McVerry Trust says measures would have ‘significant impact' Another 1,000 vacant units will ing plan. The head of policy at Cluid be refurbished. Some 400 new units will be provided for peoplehousing association Simon with specific needs and up Brooke said: “We are absolutely CIARAN HANCOCK delighted with this increase. to ISOnew homes will be made It will enable housing associations The Government plans to build availablefor people with disabil10,000 to provide over 2,000 new social housing units by ities requiring institutional homes over the next three 2018as part of a €2.2 billion cap- care. years.” ital investment package that Mr Kelly said it was a “miscould Pat Doyle,chief executive of include private sector take” by previous administrafunding. tions that “local authorities ef- the Peter McVerry Trust, said This would be the first major fectivelygot out of direct house the measures would have a “significant impact”. investment in housing by the building. “We believe the announcement, State since the original austeri“We need to return to that including the €2.2 billion tybudgetin2009. model in order to address the Minister for Public Expendi- rising housingneed.” over the course of the next ture and Reform Brendan How- Mr Howlin said the PPPs pro- three years for social housing, lin announced yesterday that posed would not be the “landtheGovernmentwouldcontribprovidesthe financial and political swap deals between local auute commitment that had been €1.5 billion in exchequer thorities and developers, which absent from social housing provision funding by 2017. so obviouslyfailed several years in Ireland for many In addition, public private ago”. years,” he added. partnerships (PPPs) would be It would involveadapting the John FitzGerald, research professor with the ESRI, which used to invest €300 million to “successful model” that has defund 1,500 units by 2017, while livered 23 schools in recent last week urged the Government to invest in social housing an “off-balance sheet financial years, he added, vehicle” would provide at least The off-balance sheet vehicle to help stimulate economic activity, €400 million from 2015 on- would be used to “channel inwards said the investment being to approved housing bod- vestment funds” to the volunjesproposed represented a “significant sum and we wouldn’t quibble tary housing sector and would with it”. “The Government is deter- operate on an “independent, However,the Simon Communities mined to meet the scale of commercial basis”, cast some doubt on the social housing need with a level it would be open to both priof Government’s plan. “While investment commensurate vate investors and could inwith the challenge,” Mr Howlin volve a loan from the European there is an increase in the budget for social housing investment, said in his budget speech. Investment Bank. this will yield 7,500 new The Minister said more than Mr Howlin said some of the €800 million would be spent proceeds of the sale of the Bord homes next year, which is only next year on its housing pro- Gais energy business would be 8.3 per cent of the 90,000 households currently on the social-housing gramme, with €453 million on used for the house building, waiting list,” said capital expenditure. This is ex- The Government is also planpected to create up to 4,500 jngt0 introduce the housing as- national spokeswoman Niamh neHn.°pStuUCll°n'*0^>S sistance payment to support Randall. She said the timeframe laid While the Government pro- ^ nee(js 0f 8,000 households. out by the Government was vided a number of details about An additional 3,000 houseits “too long for people trapped in investment plans yesterday, holds are to be accommodated emergency accommodation” a broader social housing strate- by local authorities through the or “sleeping on our streets”. gy covering the period up to leasingofpropertiesin2015. 2020 will be announced in the In addition, the Labour Party // It will enable next two weeks. Minister announced €10 mil- ••housing Minister for the Environ- lion for accommodation and ment, Community and Local related services for homeless associations to Government Alan Kelly said persons, increasing the annual provide over 2,000 the number of units to be either spending on tackling homelessbuilt directly or acquired by lo- ness to €55.5 million in 2015. new homes over cal authorities next year would the next three years Significant impact quadruple to 946. There was a broad welcome for ineed the Government’s social hous¬
Housing