Respond Housing welcome approval in principle of the first Cost Rental Homes in Ireland

The Approved Housing Body is pleased to be selected as one of the providers of..

The Approved Housing Body is pleased to be selected as one of the providers of the 390 homes in Dublin and Cork

Respond, Approved Housing Body (AHB) and service provider, said they are very pleased to be selected for participation in the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) Scheme. They are also involved in delivering the 50 cost-rental homes on Enniskerry Road as part of the Cost Rental Pathways project which is currently under construction.

The organisation said this announcement represents a new departure in the delivery of housing in Ireland, providing a new type of housing tenure in addition to social housing, private renting and private purchase. The Cost Rental Equity Loan Facility (CRELF) allows AHBs to borrow up to 30% of the cost of cost rental homes from the State. Budget 2021 is the first time the Irish Government has introduced a funding scheme to finance the provision of cost rental homes.

Niamh Randall, Spokesperson for Respond said that the organisation was delighted to be involved in the scheme.

‘We look forward very much to working with our partners in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Finance Agency, the Housing Agency and Local Authorities to provide cost rental homes for families and individuals, ensuring that people can have access to safe, secure and permanent homes. Respond have been building and managing social housing for over 38 years and we currently have 1,324 homes in construction on-site around the country. We have been involved in building the first Cost Rental Pathfinder Project with our partners on Enniskerry Road which includes 50 cost rental and 105 homes on the same site (see Editors Notes). This experience and expertise in building and managing housing developments at scale gives us confidence in providing some of the first cost rental housing in Ireland. We look forward to handing over keys to new tenants.’

Niamh Randall, Spokesperson for Respond, said that delivering cost rental homes was a priority for the organisation.

‘For some time Respond have been advocating to have this gap addressed to provide housing for those who don’t qualify for social housing, won’t be able to afford a mortgages and yet cannot afford market rents. We have called for a sustainable and replicable model and we very much welcome Minister Darragh O’Brien’s announcement today.’

Contact: Helen McCormack, Communications Manager, Respond, 087 104 7793

Editors Notes

About Respond

Respond, a not‐for‐profit housing association, has been working all around Ireland for over 38 years. Our vision is that every family and individual in Ireland will have high‐quality housing as part of a vibrant and caring community. We firmly believe that housing and decent accommodation, in the areas where people want to live, are central to improving people’s lives and enhancing the health and well‐being of society. Approximately 10,378 tenants live in 4,520 homes across the 26 counties that we either own or manage, of these there are 4,250 Respond social tenancies.

We provide emergency accommodation with support for families who are homeless in six Family Homeless Services where our goal is to support families to move into secure homes as quickly as possible leaving homelessness behind. We provide wraparound support in relation to access to housing, mental and physical health services, family or parenting support and a range of other issues. We also continue to work with families once they have moved on to ensure the sustainability of these exits. In addition to housing and related work we also provide Day Care Services for Older People, Early Childhood Care and Education, Family Support and Refugee Resettlement Services.

About Approved Housing Bodies

Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are not-for-profit organisations that have a social purpose to provide for people’s housing needs by working in close co-operation with the Government, local authorities and relevant agencies.

Enniskerry Road

The Enniskerry Road Pathfinder Project provides for the construction of 155 social and affordable homes which are being delivered by Respond and Tuath Housing Associations in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on land provided by the Housing Agency under the Land Aggregation Scheme.

This first Cost Rental pilot project under Rebuilding Ireland is the result of an innovative collaboration between Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the Housing Agency, the Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Respond and Tuath Housing Associations.

Located at Enniskerry Road, Stepaside, Dublin 18 the site is near to a wide range of amenities, public facilities, schools, health services, local community and sports groups. Enniskerry Road provides access to the LUAS Green Line, the 47 bus route, and the M50 motorway.

The project includes 50 Cost Rental homes and 105 social homes to be apportioned between Respond (78 homes including 25 Cost Rental) and Tuath (77 homes including 25 Cost Rental). The homes will be a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties. All of the 50 Cost Rental homes will be 2-bedroom apart.