It has been clear for some time that, for both practical and political reasons, a lot of additional State resources were going to go towards housing. The Housing for All plan lays out in detail how a lot of this is intended to happen, involving massive spending of some €4 billion a year to help to deliver 300,000 additional houses by the end of the decade. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described it as “the most ambitious programme of social and affordable housing delivery in the history of the State” and said he wanted to end homelessness within a decade.
The plan puts housing at the centre of Government policy, which is appropriate given the scale of the crisis. Inevitably, results will take time. And in the meantime the likelihood is that house prices and rents will continue to rise. This is the backdrop for what will be an intense period of political debate. The Opposition, led by Sinn Féin, is already trying to pick the plan apart.
The massive new supply measures will take time to assess fully. In terms of direction, it makes sense for the State to increase its building of social housing, gradually replacing the existing system which relies on supporting tenants living in private dwellings, or in some cases unsuitable temporary accommodation. The drive to create more cost rental properties also makes sense as a way to create supply and support households. Massive intervention by the Land Development Agency will be part of this.
Providing affordable properties for families who do not qualify for social housing is challenging, and will rely on both public and private buildings. Action is needed here, but the demand side measures, including the already-announced shared equity plan, look unwise given the constraints on supply. The scheme has been amended and made more focused, but the timing still looks wrong.
Two huge challenges await. One is ensuring value for money in the huge variety of new State interventions. No policy is perfect, but the focus must be on supply and it must be relentless. The variety of new tax, planning and fiscal interventions to try to bring land onstream more quickly are part of this; we must hope they hit the target rather than lead to unintended consequences. The underlying green agenda – to develop ways of life with a smaller carbon footprint – are a vital part of the plan, requiring more political discussion and explanation.
The other big challenge is finding the resources to do the work. With builders pulled between commercial, industrial, house-building and retrofitting, shortages of capacity are a real threat.
The Government will know that publishing a housing plan is one thing, implementing it is another matter entirely. A lot of work lies ahead to ensure this plan, unlike many of its predecessors, actually makes a significant difference.