Introduction.
We are in the middle of a housing crisis with 89,872 households on the social housing waiting
list. Rents are increasing by between 4 and 11% per annum in our major cities and the number
of properties available has declined sharply since 2009. Furthermore, rent supplement levels are
proving insufficient to meet the asking price for many rental properties. Homelessness and the
risk of homelessness are on the increase. The €30 million housing stimulus package announced
as part of Budget 2014 was welcome but inadequate in light of such high levels of need. This
was to some degree acknowledged with the announcement of the Investment Stimulus Package
in May 2014 of €50 million in capital funding. However, this will not stem the growing tide of
housing demand. It is now clear that a significant policy shift is required to address our growing
social housing requirements. The reliance on the private sector to provide social housing has
demonstrably failed. A new approach is required involving significant investment in social
housing provided by the local authorities and the approved housing bodies in greater numbers,
allied to provision in private rented sector. The nature of the needs and the scale of the
resources required make it a complex but not an impossible task. It needs vision, decisiveness,
political will and the commitment on the part of the practitioners and providers to deliver quality
social housing. It will require a coherent plan that begins with what can be provided
immediately or as soon as possible and what can then be provided in the medium and longer
term.
