Aspiring homeowners have been advised to “hang in there” by the Minister for Housing ahead of the unveiling of the long-awaited housing plan on Thursday.
The plan, called Delivering Homes, Building Communities, will aim to deliver a “real shift in how we get housing moving in this country”, while also having a strong focus on family and child homelessness, James Browne said.
Speaking at the launch of the Simon Communities of Ireland annual report for 2024 on Wednesday morning, the Minister said he shared the charity’s “relentlessness in seeing homelessness ended”.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable for me for any child to be homeless. We know the numbers are going in the wrong direction, but I do think and believe the changes we’ve been making, and the housing plan I’m announcing tomorrow, will get that going back in opposite direction,” he said.
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Speaking prior to bringing the long-awaited plan to Cabinet for approval, Mr Browne said a “huge part” of it is focused on reducing homelessness numbers, particularly among families and children, while also focusing on how to “activate housing on the ground”.
“I think the plan, combined with all the decisions that we have made over the last eight months, will move the dial, and will move it significantly,” he said.
Asked if aspiring homeowners can expect housing prices to come down in the coming years, he advised them to “hang on”.
“I believe we are going to bring a step change in housing delivery and that means more social homes for those who can’t afford their own home.
“It means more affordable homes who people who need that help to be able to buy their own home, and it means more private homes for people who can afford to buy, but maybe don’t have the access today to the houses,” he said.
“So I think we will see that change coming over the next couple of years, and I intend to do it quite rapidly. So I would say, hang in there. We are going to deliver homes,” he said.
Launching the Simon Communities of Ireland annual report, the Minister said the research carried out by the charity is “crucial”.
Mick Price, chair of the board of the Simon Communities of Ireland, described 2024 as “another deeply challenging year for people on the margins of Irish society”.
“Each month the appalling increase in homeless statistics is revealed – and while we may have grown numb to the figures, we must remember that behind each number is a real, living, breathing human being,” he said.
The number of people in emergency accommodation was 16,614 in September, according to the most recent figures.
Mr Price said the ongoing shortage of safe, secure and affordable housing continued to worsen throughout 2024, adding that the charity “very much looks forward to tomorrow’s national plan”.
Noting that the annual report details the “real solutions” provided to the Government to tackle the housing crisis, executive director Ber Grogan said it also exposes a “stark reality”.
“Ireland has the means to end homelessness, yet not the political will. The longer someone is in homelessness, the harder it is to get out. Every day, our services see people who want to move forward but are trapped by a broken system,” she said.
Ms Grogan said the charity hopes to see clear timelines, targets and budgets in the housing plan.
The plan will aim to deliver 90,000 “starter homes” over the next five years.
Overall, the Government has pledged the delivery of more than 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030.
There is to be an additional €2.5 billion in funding for the Land Development Agency (LDA), which will have an expanded role under the latest plan for tackling the housing crisis.
