Clúid: Social housing spend will provide 2,000 new homes over next three years
Clúid Housing has "warmly welcomed" today’s announcement of a trebling in capital funding for social housing in the Budget.
The Minister for Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin said the Government will spend €2.2bn on social housing units.
He said he expects that 2,500 social housing units will be built next year and up to 6,700 units by 2017.
Simon Brooke, Head of Policy at the social housing body Clúid, said: "We are absolutely delighted with this increase. It will enable housing associations to provide over 2,000 new homes over the next three years.
"Between housing associations and local authorities the Government estimates that over 10,000 new social rented homes will be provided by 2017.
"There are currently 90,000 households on housing waiting lists across the country. Of these, we estimate that 30,000 households are living in seriously substandard housing."
Mr Howlin announced that there will be €800m for Social Housing bodies in 2015.
He also announced a €210m rise in capital spending to €3.5bn which will rise in 2016 and 2017.
Mr Brooke said: "We need to remember that capital spending on social housing was €1.48bn in 2007 but by 2014 it had been cut by a massive 85%. Consequently, social house building has collapsed.
"In 2007, local authorities and housing associations produced 8,700 new homes; by 2013 this had slumped to 757, a staggering drop of over 90%.
"We need to be building at least 5,000 new social housing homes per year if we are to start to reduce social housing waiting lists."
