Donegal is set to benefit in part following an announcement of €436 million which has been allocated for social housing acquisition nationwide.
This funding includes a capital funding allocation of €325 million, to be allocated to local authorities for the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme for 2025.
A further €111 million has also been allocated for 82 new social housing projects nationwide, with over 1,300 new homes planned to be built according to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne T.D.
575 of those new-build homes are on track for completion in 2025 according to the Government.
The housing approvals are in 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 Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Galway City & County, Roscommon, Cavan, Longford, Tipperary, Roscommon, Carlow, Waterford, Kildare and Laois.
Speaking about the funding for new-build social homes, Minister Browne said:
“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.”
Meanwhile, the funding provided for the 2025 second-hand acquisitions programme will allow 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
- 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.
Speaking about the funding for the second-hand acquisitions programme Minister Browne 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.”
