The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage released their newest housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, last week to much anticipation. While I think it is easy to immediately jump to negativity (I mean, how can you not when you take even the smallest look at where we are right now in the housing crisis), I think we need to understand and recognise when a win is a win.
Is Minister James Browne going to solve the housing crisis in his term like he says he will? Probably not. Almost certainly not, actually. But that doesn’t mean we should feel too much doom and gloom.
This newest housing plan has a more holistic approach to housing than its predecessors. The understanding that in order to build more homes and communities, we need the proper infrastructure to do so is present. That means water lines, gas lines, electric lines, roads, public transportation, and building in places people want to actually live. What good is it to build a big new urban development when you can’t even heat your house or pop to the shop for milk without getting into your car? This new plan takes these things into account and has said they will be working in tandem with these companies and departments as a partnership rather than an afterthought.
There is also consideration of how we use existing infrastructure, especially in regard to vacant and derelict buildings. While past Plans have made note of this too, the current one emphasises the success both average residents have made in becoming homeowners and the county councils in delivering more social housing through the likes of renovating empty properties. This is also beneficial in terms of sustainability and reducing our environmental impact footprints.
Homelessness, homelessness prevention, and social housing are given considerable attention, making up the bulk of the plan. This is a big change in comparison to past Plans where the emphasis was placed on the private rental sector and homeownership. Here, there is not much given towards the delivery to the two, rather increasing supports within the tenure types. Social housing production was clearly the key takeaway the Department was pushing and the main driver of the policy action.
This is where I feel the most skeptical as a housing researcher. Data clearly shows that the State have been unable to deliver their goal of 9,000/year social housing homes as outlined in the last housing plan, Housing for All. In this new Plan, that yearly output goal has been increased to 12,000 per year, with an overall goal of 72,000 social housing homes created by the end of 2030. As Gen Z would say: I fear the math ain’t mathing.
As I said in the beginning, however, this approach is more holistic, and I do think the strategies they have outlined could in theory increase housing production and get them closer to the 12,000/year goal they have set for themselves. Providing more funding and giving more supports to the county councils and approved housing bodies, as they have outlined, will be key. The acknowledgement of this, and without saying that the market and investors will deliver, is a bigger step than ones in the past, and this is where I hold optimism, albeit cautiously. The government must follow through on these commitments if they want to stand a chance at fulfilling their promises.
While there are of course things I would have liked to see, particularly around the affordability crisis in the private rented and the homeownership sectors, there is never going to be a perfect housing plan. Despite this, I feel comfortable in saying that there were at least attempts at addressing some of the core barriers to housing production and delivering more suitable housing. The biggest question now will be whether or not the State can walk the walk instead of continuing to only manage to talk the talk, and for that, only time will tell.
