- Ø Significant progress reported on 56 specific actions to increase housing output and deal with homelessness
- Ø In excess of 18,000 people/families had their social housing needs met in 2016, ahead of the target of just over 17,000
- Ø As part of this overall delivery, we built, purchased or refurbished some 5,300 homes in 2016 - around 1,000 over the target for the year
- Ø 810 people/families got new tenancies under the Homeless Housing Assistance Payment in Dublin during 2016, exceeding the target of 550
- Ø 206 additional bed spaces were made available in emergency accommodation facilities in Dublin in December 2016, meaning that sufficient beds are available for all who currently need them
- Ø As committed to under Rebuilding Ireland, the Department has developed a Monthly Housing Activity Report, the first monthly Report is also published to-day, which charts current activity levels across 5 key statistical indicators, Planning permissions & Residential Rent Price Index (published quarterly). Residential commencements, Residential Completions & Residential Property Price Index (monthly).
Mr. Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, today (7 February 2017) published the Second Quarterly Progress Report on implementation of “Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness” .
Rebuilding Ireland is a whole-of-Government Plan split into 5 key pillars designed to
1. Comprehensively address homelessness;
2. Increase the supply of social housing by 47,000 units by 2021,
3. Increase the total output of all housing supply (social, private and rental) to at least 25,000 per annum by 2021,
4. Improve and modernise the rental sector, and,
5. Make the best use of the housing stock.
Minister Coveney welcomed the publication of the second Progress Report, as approved yesterday by the Cabinet Committee on Housing and Homelessness, chaired by An Taoiseach, saying -
“The success of Rebuilding Ireland will be measured by delivery in terms of providing homes and choice for our people. This Report charts the progress to date on delivering key actions that has been made by Departments, Agencies, Local Authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, in collaboration with industry and housing sector stakeholders. The actions and measures taken are starting to have the desired effect and the output indicators in terms of social housing and housing more broadly are positive. While we started from a low base the trajectory is upward and I will continue to drive it in that direction. I want to thank all concerned for responding so early and so proactively to the call to get behind the Rebuilding Ireland programme so that we deliver the social, private and rental housing at affordable prices that people expect and deserve. Later this week I will publish a comprehensive list of social housing projects which are at various stages of progress.”
The Report documents the progress made on 56 specific actions during the final Quarter of 2016 of which 47 are complete or on schedule. Of the nine actions, which are incomplete or behind schedule, all are being advanced and will be completed in the near future. Key developments reported include:-
18,380 social housing supports provided to people in 2016, with expenditure of €935 million on housing during the year. This exceeded the target of 17,240 for 2016, giving a very positive start to the challenge of meeting the ambitious targets in Rebuilding Ireland.
The Housing Assistance Payment Homeless pilot in Dublin has seen the creation of 810 stable and supported housing tenancies for homeless individuals by Q4 of 2016 (significantly exceeding the target of 550 tenancies).
Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) was introduced to nine further local authorities with effect from 1 December 2016: Cavan, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow and 12,075 HAP tenancies were set-up in 2016, meeting the scheme’s target for the year and offering an extra choice for people and families in need of social housing.
At the end of 2016, a total of 350 rapid build homes were advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, with 22 rapid build homes already delivered and occupied in 2016.
The Office of Government Procurement’s Rapid Delivery Procurement Framework Agreement is now in place, paving the way for the provision of 1,500 homes during 2017 and 2018 suitable for families presenting as homeless. This will also support the ending of the reliance on commercial hotels for such families by mid-2017.
· The Mortgage to Rent scheme has been reviewed and new improved and streamlined arrangements will facilitate more households in long-term arrears to remain in their homes.
· Three new and one upgraded Emergency Accommodation facilities were delivered in December 2016, which provide an additional 206 bed spaces for those who badly need them, particularly during the cold weather spells.
In terms of increasing housing supply, 23 Major Urban Housing Development Sites (MUHDS) with the capacity to deliver 30,000 new homes in the medium term have been identified in the Greater Dublin Area, Cork, Limerick and Galway by DHPCLG, in close collaboration with local authorities and the Department’s new Housing Delivery Office for accelerated delivery.
Applications for the €200m Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Funding (LIHAF) from 21 local authorities, covering 74 separate infrastructure projects have been received and funding decisions will be announced in March 2017.
The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published on 13 December 2016, is a major milestone in providing a vision and coordinated plan for the development of a stable, strong and viable rental sector, offering clarity, security, true choice for households, investment opportunities for providers and reflecting the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
· Rent Pressure Zones have been introduced to give rent predictability with Dublin and Cork City designated before Christmas under the 2016 Act and more recently further designations in local electoral areas in Galway City, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Cork County. As of the end of January, approximately 55% of all tenancies are covered. Further, specific designations can be made if and when areas meet the criteria. This will ease rental pressure as supply catches up.
The Help to Buy Incentive Scheme, announced by the Minister for Finance in Budget 2017, is already encouraging an increasing supply of new homes. Until 31 December 2019, First-time buyers taking out a mortgage to purchase or self-build their home, can claim a refund of income tax and DIRT paid over the previous four tax years, up to a maximum amount of €20,000. This will create realisable demand and will encourage developers to increase new housing supply.
In order to streamline housing delivery, the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016, enacted on 23 December 2016, provides for large-scale housing development proposals to be submitted directly to An Bord Pleanála, while also enabling other important streamlining of the planning processes and new rent predictability measures under the Rental Strategy..
The Minister commented:-
“The progress report is very encouraging and records some significant early achievements and progress. We’ve taken concerted action to deliver on the priority objectives in relation to addressing homelessness. The Dublin Region HAP homeless pilot is delivering ahead of target as is the social housing programme overall and people and families have safe and secure homes.”
Action Plan for Housing and homelessness – Second Quarterly Progress Report (February2017) will be available on www.rebuildingireland.ie & www.housing.gov.ie later today.
· As committed to under Rebuilding Ireland, the Department has developed a Monthly Housing Activity Report, the first monthly Report is also to be published later today, which charts current activity levels across 5 key statistical indicators,
o Planning permissions (published quarterly)
o Residential commencements (monthly)
o Residential completions (monthly)
o Residential Property Price Index (monthly)
o Residential Rent Price Index(quarterly).
· The indicators confirm that the upward trend in housing activity evident in recent times is gaining momentum and, having regard to wider economic growth projections and the increasing level of planning permissions in particular, should continue to gather pace and result in higher levels of output in 2017 and beyond.
o Planning permissions were granted for over 16,000 new homes in the year to end September 2016 (an increase of 45% on the preceding 12 months).
o Commencement Notices for 13,234 new homes were submitted in the year up to end December 2016, an increase of 51% year on year.
o 14,932 new homes completed during 2016, an increase of 18% on 2015 (12,666).
· The Report includes an explanatory note on the underlying statistics.
Minister Coveney concluded saying:-
“The Action Plan is 6 months old and the early signs are positive. I want to build on that working across Government and with local authorities, approved housing bodies the construction sector and with all other stakeholders to build on this momentum. I expect these trends to continue and accelerate over the course of 2017 - the first full year of implementation of the Plan - but that can only happen if we continue to collectively put our shoulders to the wheel in tackling the greatest challenge our country faces.”
Note for Editors
The Report also anticipates further delivery of additional actions across the five Pillars of the Plan between now and the end of the year, including:-
· Pillar 1: Address Homelessness
A range of actions to address homelessness by provide housing solutions and preventing further Homelessness including
- the continued roll out of the Homeless HAP scheme in Dublin
- the planned provision of two additional temporary emergency accommodation facilities.
- Abhaile, the Free Mortgage Arrears Support Service for families and individuals at risk of losing their home, to launch a National awareness campaign on radio, print and digital medial later this month.
· Pillar 2: Accelerate Social Housing
- Homeless Assistance Payment to be extended to the remaining three Dublin authorities from 1 March 2017, which will complete the nationwide roll-out of the scheme and significantly increase the numbers of households who benefit from this key housing support.
- the early phase of the Housing Agency initiative to expand it acquisitions programme through using dedicated exchequer funding of €70m will deliver close to 200 new homes for social housing in the coming months,
· Pillar 3: Build More Homes
- Funding decisions on projects approved for LIHAF funding will be announced in March 2017, paving the way for significant enabling infrastructure works on key strategic sites around our major urban areas, involving privately owned and mixed tenure developments to begin as planned in 2017.
· Pillar 4: Improve the Rental Sector
- The recently published Strategy for the Rental Sector will see the Residential Tenancies Board take on a broader role in delivering day-to-day services that meet the needs of both tenants and landlords.
Pillar 5: Utilise Existing Housing
National Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy
- The Housing Agency is leading the preparation of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy, that will provide clarity on the extent of vacant units and help inform policy measures to incentivise bringing available vacant stock into use for social and private housing.
- A new survey of unfinished housing developments is being finalised for publication during Q1 2017 and will support efforts to align social housing investment towards strategic acquisition opportunities.