Labour reveals radical public housing build plans in Alternative Budget
Labour spokesperson on Housing, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has unveiled plans to radically increase the level of public housing and repurpose NAMA to provide affordable housing for sale and rent.
The fully-costed proposals, aimed at tackling the housing and homelessness crisis, are part of Labour’s Alternative Budget 2018.
Deputy O’Sullivan said:
“With the housing and homelessness crisis showing no signs of abating, the Labour Party has produced fully costed and concrete plans which we believe can make a real difference- and fast.
“With report after report detailing rising property prices, inflated rent levels and heart-breaking stories of families and children forced into emergency accommodation, it is quite clear that the private housing market has failed.
“With supply at an all-time low, the State needs to pick up the slack from where developers have simply stopped building, or are sitting on land waiting for prices to rise.
“The Government’s current target is to deliver over 5,000 public houses. This includes 3,800 newly built homes, with the remainder to be delivered through Part V and the refurbishment of old stock.
“But this is simply not enough given the current stalled phase of construction.
“To tackle this, the Labour Party is proposing to commit an extra €964m to deliver an additional five thousand homes next year. This would deliver three thousand houses and two thousand apartments of various sizes.
“Labour’s plan would bring the provision of social housing in 2018 to nearly 11,000 homes.
“It’s projected that NAMA will have more than €3b when it completes its work in 2020. Instead of winding it down, Labour wants to broaden NAMA’s remit to provide social and affordable housing, as well as rebranding it as the National Housing and Development Agency.
“But NAMA shouldn’t be restricted to only funding private developers- and should play a central role in the provision of affordable housing through approved housing bodies.
“Finally, Labour has pledged to support people with disabilities to live in their communities, through providing an extra €20.2 million towards the Housing Adaptation grants.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Labour’s Alternative Budget can be found here www.labour.ie/download/pdf/