Federation Focus and Forecast

Voluntary housing output and development activity up but HSE commitment is essential to ensuring the supply special needs housing projects doesn’t fall off.

It is estimated that housing associations in the voluntary housing sector will complete almost 1700 homes in 2007 which will represent a significant increase from previous years. In addition, the increased of number of ‘starts’ on new homes is not surprising given the recent increase in activity from the large number of new housing associations, many based in rural areas, as well as the increasing number of larger and expanding housing associations who had plans for significant ongoing building programmes, particularly for family type housing. While there are still ongoing discussions in relation to the rationalisation of the capital funding schemes, it is important that the current high level of development activity in the voluntary housing sector is maintained as housing associations have expanded their own capacity in areas such as up skilling within their own organisations and through staff recruitment to ensure that housing activity and output is continually kept at this high level and which reflects the targets agreed in the National Agreement Towards 2016 for housing associations. Capacity of the voluntary housing sector is at the moment at its’ ever highest level and this should be utilised through the local authorities in their Action Plans.

In recent years upwards of 50% output for housing associations had been for special needs groups such as older people, the homeless and people with disabilities. Therefore, it is essential that there is the commitment from the HSE to provide revenue funding for care and support costs in approved special needs projects developed by housing associations. Otherwise without any agreed commitment the likely impact will be the number of these projects, mostly developed under the capital assistance scheme will fall. This may also result in housing associations being forced to house vulnerable groups who have less care and support needs.

There are currently plans to develop agreed protocols between the HSE and Local authorities for ensuring that there is a simultaneous commitment from local authorities and HSE where a voluntary housing project that requires revenue funding where there is a care dimension. Protocols would be important to guarantee certainty in a new process, however to ensure that any agreed protocols can be implemented there requires significant ringfenced revenue funding to be put in place by the HSE. Supported housing projects prevent many vulnerable households having to move to more expensive and inappropriate forms of residential, institutional or nursing home care prematurely. There are signals from the HSE that there is to be no additional funding for new homeless projects in Dublin which will have a negative impact for housing associations in being able to deliver services to the homeless and in turn prevent Government targets on homelessness being met as the delivering of move-on supported housing was a key dimension to this. For other groups such as older people and people with disabilities, it is important that the HSE have revenue funding that is ring fenced for these supported housing projects to ensure that these supported housing projects that are developed by housing associations with Government support do not remain unoccupied due to an absence of resources to manage such projects.

The indicators in relation to the activity in the voluntary housing sector now demonstrate the encouragement provided by Government over the last few years for the voluntary housing sector to increase its’ role is now being met and even exceeding expectations especially in relation the volume of housing projects being developed and proposed by the sector. While there may be more homes provided for families it is important that the delivery of supported housing projects which represented a significant part of the voluntary housing sector is now not lost due to difficulties with obtaining commitments from the HSE. With any new rationalisation of the capital funding schemes it is important that HSE approval does not become an impediment for new schemes special needs projects being developed especially as local authorities are able to identify the housing needs of groups such as the homeless.

Finally, the review of progress the current National Agreement-Towards 2016, including the relevant commitments for voluntary housing associations is about to commence. It will provide the opportunity for Social Partners, including the ICSH, to assess progress on the broader housing objectives as well as the more specific commitments that were agreed by the Government until 2009 for housing associations. It should allow Social Partners to also reflect what now needs to be done to ensure that commitments are to be delivered on and what are the necessary tools to achieve this.

Donal McManus

Executive Director

February 2008