Concerns have been raised by Donal McManus, the CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), that the elderly and disabled may be marginalised into a housing ‘underclass’. These groups are significantly impacted by the dwindling number of residences designed to cater to their specific needs.
The construction of smaller houses and supported living accommodation hasn’t kept up with the rate at which general social housing is being built. This poses a problem, considering the expanding demographic of older individuals, McManus explained.
In recent times, there has been a decrease in the quantity of homes being provided by approved housing bodies for elderly and disabled individuals. This is despite these groups making up a quarter of those on the social housing waitlist and nearly 7% who have special housing requirements due to disabilities.
McManus stated that a mere 634 properties were allocated to these groups in 2023, which is 10 less than the previous year, whilst general social housing supplied by approved bodies grew by a fifth within the same timeframe.
“Currently, there are 6,000 individuals waiting for housing, consisting of elderly and disabled persons. In the past, half of the houses provided by associations were supportive living with the remaining intended for general needs,” he said.
McManus further criticismed the current bias towards general housing, which now makes up 80% of the offerings, citing an urgent need for realignment. The adverse living conditions experienced by disabled residents and the neglect of the rapidly expanding ageing population could result in them becoming a marginalised ‘underclass’, a situation that needs addressing.
McManus underscored the importance of other organisations, such as the Health Service Executive, in ensuring this form of housing becomes more viable. The apparent lack of comprehensive policies to achieve this presents an issue.
McManus made these remarks ahead of the release of the ICSH Housing Association Activity Report for 2023. The report highlighted that the sector provided nearly 6,000 social and cost-rental dwellings, making up almost half of the overall social housing and a third of total cost rental provision. Despite these promising numbers, McManus stressed the need to prevent housing bodies from overdependence on debt financing.
“We transitioned from abundance to scarcity. Once, we enjoyed 100 per cent government investment, but following the financial crisis, we’ve shifted almost entirely towards debtor financing. This marks a significant change over a relatively brief timeframe.”
Whilst he hasn’t yet witnessed a housing project collapse due to a housing association’s debts, he stated, the funding model is escalating the risks associated with the development.
“If our goal is to expand the industry, it’s critical that we achieve equilibrium between debt levels and the extent of capital financing. It’s crucial for the Government to review this, especially if they intend, as they claim, to significantly inflate the sector over the ensuing decade.”