Housing scheme to provideapartments for elderly

A voluntary housing scheme which will provide elderly hospital patients and vulnerable individuals on accommodation waiting lists with an opportunity to move into an upmarket south Dublin apartment development was unveiled yesterday, writes Steven Carroll.

The €4.6 million, 20-apartment acquisition at the Bloomfield complex on Bloomfield Avenue in Dublin 4 was completed by the Royal Hospital Donnybrook's Voluntary Housing Association.

The scheme will see five patients move out of the hospital to begin living in the apartments, where they will be supported by Health Service Executive (HSE) funded care packages.

The remaining 15 apartments will be allocated through a process with Dublin City Council, which will allow vulnerable individuals on the city council's accommodation waiting list to also be housed in the complex.

The financial support for the purchase was provided by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Dublin City Council under the Social Housing provisions of the Planning Acts.

The provisions state that developers must provide up to 20 per cent of housing units at discounted rates to local authorities which meant the acquisition cost only €4.6 million. The open market value of the 20 apartments is considered to be some €11 million.

The Friends of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook also supported the project by generating capital which enabled the Voluntary Housing Association to pay the deposit for the apartments.

Robin Simpson, chairman of the Voluntary Housing Association, said he was "delighted" with the acquisition.

"This transaction underlines the real merit of the Government's Social Housing Programme. It goes without saying that there would be no possibility whatsoever of the hospital's Voluntary Housing Association acquiring these properties on the open market."

The Bloomfield acquisition brings the number of housing units owned by the Voluntary Housing Association to 49, adding to the 29-bungalow Cullenswood housing scheme in Ranelagh, which opened in 1993.

Mr Simpson said the organisation "will be building on the experience of the Cullenswood development" which was designed for mainly elderly people who had been living in poor privately rented accommodation.

Last year, 188 social units negotiated under Planning Acts were given to the voluntary housing sector. The Royal Hospital said the acquisition of these new units will be a huge boost to the social housing stock of the southeast Dublin city area.

Frank Cunneen, chairman of the board of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook said the collaboration with the Voluntary Housing Association reflected an important aspect of the hospital's programme of "multidisciplinary care to enable patients to either avoid hospital care or leave hospital care and return to living in the community".

Mr Cunneen also announced that the Royal Hospital Donnybrook will shortly commence building accommodation for an additional 30 beds and upgraded facilities. Capital funding for the €7.5 million project has been secured through the HSE and the new beds are due to come on stream early next year.