Local authorities can target this funding at their discretion.

€436m for social housing

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, has confirmed that he has allocated €436m to meet social housing needs.

This includes capital funding allocations totalling €325m which have now been notified to local authorities in respect of the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme for 2025.

Minister Browne has also allocated €111m for 82 new social housing projects which will provide over 1,300 newly built homes with a total development cost value of €517m. This €111m has been allocated from the €450m for social and affordable housing recently announced by Government.

Social housing New-Build Projects

The approvals issued in recent weeks provide funding in 2025 to progress 82 projects which will deliver 1,325 homes over the period 2025 – 2027, 575 of which will be delivered this year. The approvals are in respect of the following locations:

- 542 homes in Dublin

- 234 homes in Cork City and County

- 60 homes in Westmeath

- 58 homes in Meath

- 59 homes in Limerick

- 56 homes in Kerry

- 55 homes in Wicklow

- 30 homes in Kilkenny; and

- 231 homes cumulatively across Mayo, Clare, Donegal, Galway City & County, Roscommon, Cavan, Longford, Tipperary, Roscommon, Carlow, Waterford, Kildare and Laois.

Speaking about the funding for new-build social homes, Minister Browne emphasised: “The Government’s commitment to the new-build social housing programme as increasing overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long term homelessness. That is why Government has set ambitious targets for new-build social housing in the Programme for Government of an average 12,000 homes per annum out to 2030. To meet this ambition, we need to scale up supply, and these approvals represent a further expansion of the new-build social housing pipeline.”

Second-Hand Social Housing Acquisitions Programme

Funding of €325m will support the second-hand acquisitions programme which has been an important element in the prevention of homelessness since Government introduced the Tenant-in-Situ acquisitions stream in 2023.

The 2025 second-hand acquisitions programme will provide for the acquisition of second-hand homes for the following priority needs:

- Tenant-in-Situ Acquisitions;

- Older persons and persons with a disability;

- Exits from homeless services; and

- Buy and Renew acquisitions which tackle vacancy

Under revised arrangements for 2025, local authorities have received a capital funding allocation for the acquisition of second-hand dwellings. The authorities can target this funding at their discretion – whether on tenant in situ purchases or other purposes – allowing them the flexibility to respond to local needs and demand within the categories of acquisitions being supported.

Minister Browne reiterated Government’s commitment to the acquisitions programme and the tenant-in-situ acquisition stream, given its important role in the prevention of homelessness. He added: “This Government has funded the acquisition of almost 7,000 second-hand social homes since 2020 at a cost of €2 billion. Of those, just over 3,100 have been acquired between 2023 and autumn last year. The Government’s commitment couldn’t be clearer with the extension of the acquisition programme into 2025 with this significant funding support of €325m. Crucially, local authorities are being given the flexibility to target this money to ensure their responses are tailored to local need.”