IRELAND
On this page you can find summaries of AHI activities/ projects, AHI weblogs/blog posts, and resources.
2007, June 12, Dublin
RAS Long-Term Leasing Project
Activities: Program design
AHI was contracted by The Affordable Homes Partnership (AHP), a Government of Ireland State agency working on behalf of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and local authorities, to provide housing finance expertise and program/public policy design to further develop a social/affordable housing program in the Greater Dublin Area. The resulting Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) Long-term Leasing Project is currently at the Request For Qualifications stage with the release of the final document on June 12th.
The program aims to provide greater security of tenure to low income residents unable to find quality affordable housing in Ireland’s booming property market, to mitigate the extent of social segregation in housing and to improve integration between private and social housing developments. The key feature is a Public Private Partnership component, characterized by the innovative financial modelling AHI built into the program design:
- Through RAS, Local Authorities will source accommodation from the private rented market to meet long-term housing needs of households that currently depend upon Rent Supplement.
- Soft debt tools provide financial incentives to developers to secure long-term rental accommodation for low-income residents. Sponsors will receive up-front recoverable grant financing that can be used, for instance, to fund the construction of new units or the refurbishment of owned or newly-acquired units.
- Sponsors are required to ensure RAS residents receive professional quality management services. Thus, the project also seeks to encourage the emergence of a professional, permanent property management sector in Ireland’s rental market.
The program design allows the Irish government to provide market rate housing at a cost approximately 10% cheaper than it currently spends on social housing, and 30% less than on providing wholly market rate rental accommodation.
2004, April, Dublin
Dublin Docklands Development Authority
Activities: Stakeholder education, program design
Delivery of a one-day roundtable workshop and discussion at the Dublin Docklands Development Authority for all levels of government - national, city, regeneration authority - on the utility of soft debt (capital provided on favorable terms, including deferral and contingent repayment) as a means of delivering intermediate 'key worker' housing in regeneration areas.
2003, November, Dublin
Dublin Docklands Development Authority
Activities: Stakeholder education, program design
Day-long workshop delivered to executives from Dublin Dockland Development Authority, Dublin City Council, and Ireland Department of the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government exploring the challenges of creating affordable housing in high-appreciation urban environments, and the potential value of soft debt programs.
Blog Posts (from newer to older)
Sums of a zero-sum game: Part 2, reports from the field
For sale, one cracked crystal ball
Central Bank & Financial Services Authority of Ireland
Department of the Environment - Heritage and Local Government
Economic and Social Research Institute
Threshold National Housing Organisation
Europe - Italy - Turkey - United Kindom