Wednesday, 26th November 2014
- 110,000 homes by 2020 including 35,000 additional social housing units
- Social Housing Strategy 2020 will address current housing shortage and provide homes for those who need them
The Social Housing Strategy announced by the Government today will deal with the housing shortage in this country. Around 35,000 social housing units will be supplied by 2020. The needs of a further 75,000 households will be met through the Housing Assistance Payment and the Rental Accommodation Scheme.
The Government will put in place a tenant purchase scheme for existing tenants in the coming months. We’re committed to making social housing more flexible and responsive to people’s needs and individual circumstances and include social housing as part of mixed developments.
This ambitious national plan to supply 35,000 social housing units will be completed through the building and acquisition of over 22,000 units, the lease of 11,000 units and the return to use of over 2,000 units.
A major part of the strategy is also the reform of social housing and the way it is allocated. The Housing Assistance Payment is designed to ensure people have the accommodation they need and is currently being introduced on a phased basis in a number of Local Authorities and will be widespread by 2015. It differs from the Rent Supplement as it allows people to take up work without losing their payment, and to avail of other social housing supports and options.
This plan on social housing is not just good news for those waiting on the list and also very positive for the construction industry, with potential for job creation in an industry that was badly hit by the economic crash. It is estimated that the strategy will see the creation of 29,000 jobs