Overall social and affordable housing provision

'Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland' is the government’s housing policy to 2030. It is a multi-annual, multi-billion euro plan which will improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs. Under Housing for All, social housing delivery is supported through a number of funding streams and is delivered via local authorities and approved housing bodies. The statistical tables below provide details on the number of social homes delivered across the various delivery streams and funding programmes. The following section provides details on Social Housing delivery across the Build, Acquisition, Leasing, HAP and RAS delivery streams.

Further information on Local Authority Housing Scheme Statistics can be found here.

Homes built by local authorities for use as social housing.

Homes acquired by local authorities for use as social housing.

Under this voluntary and co-operative scheme, Approved Housing Bodies provide accommodation to meet special housing needs.

The CLSS commenced in 1991 to provide mortgage finance to Approved Housing Bodies by way of loans from the local authorities, to meet the cost of providing social rented accommodation for low-income families. The scheme terminated in 2009 for new approvals, over 10,000 units of accommodation have been provided by the Approved Housing Bodies sector with funding provided under the scheme.

Current Expenditure Housing Programmes

Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support and the scheme is operated by local authorities. Under the HAP scheme, monthly payments are made directly to landlords on behalf of the HAP recipient in respect of rent, subject to the conditions of the scheme. HAP recipients are responsible for finding their own accommodation in the private rented sector.

The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a social housing support for persons who are in receipt of long-term rent supplement. The RAS scheme is run by local authorities.

A range of housing options are necessary to ensure a supply of accommodation to meet different types of social housing need. In addition to traditional build and acquisition delivery programmes, local authorities also deliver social housing by leasing houses and apartments from private owners and allocating them to tenants from their social housing lists.

Leased properties can be delivered under a range of different schemes - including direct leasing by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, the Mortgage to Rent Scheme, the Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) and the Enhanced Leasing Scheme.

‘Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland’ is the government’s housing plan to 2030. It is a multi-annual, multi-billion euro plan which will improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs.

The government’s vision for the housing system over the longer term is to achieve a steady supply of housing in the right locations with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system.

Under Housing for All, the government has committed to ending long-term leasing of social housing by Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies by the end of 2025 and focusing on new-build social homes provided by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.

The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is one of the delivery options in Pathway 4 of Housing for All – Pathway to Addressing Vacancy and Efficient Use of Existing Stock. Subject to the suitability of the property for social housing the scheme provides for the cost of any necessary repairs to a vacant dwelling to be met upfront by the local authority or AHB. The property owner then enters into a lease arrangement with the local authority or AHB and the value of the repairs is offset incrementally against the agreed rental payment over a defined period within the lease.

The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies for the leasing of houses and apartments. These properties are either privately owned or owned by Approved Housing Bodies. Properties made available under the programme are used to accommodate households from local authority waiting lists.

The following schemes are currently supported under SHCEP:

• properties leased and owned by Approved Housing Bodies, including properties funded under Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF), and delivered under Payment and Availability Agreements (P&As)
• direct leasing by local authorities from private owners
• properties in the Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS)
• the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme and the expanded MTR scheme
• properties leased to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies from National Assets Residential Property Services
• unsold Affordable Dwellings managed by Approved Housing Bodies for local authorities
• enhanced Leasing