The Housing Agency, Age Friendly Ireland and The Departments of Health and Housing, Local Government and Heritage have launched AgeFriendlyHomes.ie, a new website providing resources, guidance and information on housing for our ageing population.

On AgeFriendlyHomes.ie you will find information on new and existing homes, grants and funding, healthcare, design information, technology, public realm, regulations, policy and research.

Watch the video below to get a brief overview of the website’s key features.

The Age Friendly Homes website contains an array of information to support the development of Age Friendly Housing, such as case studies, research, funding information and design templates.

Marking its launch, Chief Executive Officer of The Housing Agency, John O’Connor, said:

“The launch of AgeFriendlyHomes.ie marks a significant milestone in The Housing Agency’s work in housing for our ageing population. We have been delighted to collaborate with all of the different stakeholders in its creation.

“The website provides a central hub for resources, guidance and information on housing. We hope that everyone involved in the provision of homes for older people – from local authorities and approved housing bodies to architects, other construction professionals and the general public – will find the website useful and be encouraged to think more closely about the needs of our citizens as we grow older.”

The website was launched on Tuesday 22 June 2021 by Minister of State for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with responsibility for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke TD, and Minister of State for the Department of Health, with responsibility for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler TD.

A suite of Age Friendly Housing Resources by Age Friendly Ireland was also launched.

Speaking at the launch Minister Burke said:

“Providing a range of housing options that respond to needs across the community is a priority of government and of my Department. The Programme for Government outlines a vision of an Age Friendly Ireland and contains a commitment to Housing for All. Having a safe home is a cornerstone of a decent quality of life. It commits to providing affordable public and social homes and increasing housing stock by over 50,000 over the next five years, the majority of which is to be built by local authorities. The government will ensure that an appropriate mix of housing design types is provided, including universally designed units, and accommodation for older people and people with disabilities.”

Also speaking at the launch Minister Butler commented:

“When we think about later life, most of us would prefer to stay as long as possible in our own homes, surrounded by friends, loved ones, and the familiar setting of our community. Our ambition as a government is to do everything we can to support older people to continue living at home with dignity and independence.

“These resources and website will make a valuable contribution in enabling older people to lead healthy lives at home for longer.They will contribute to a greater awareness of standards for Age-Friendly Housing, and the options people have as they grow older with regard to housing adaptations and other choices. Older people must have choice when it comes to housing, and their voice must be placed at the centre of all Age Friendly Housing developments.”

The Housing Agency and Chartered Accountants Ireland will launch Owners’ Management Companies - A Concise Guide for Directors at a webinar at 1pm on Wednesday 19 May 2021.

An increasing number of people in Ireland live in apartment developments and managed estates. Between 2002 and 2016 the number of apartments in Ireland rose by 85%. In 2019 planning permissions in Ireland for apartments exceeded those for houses for the first time.

High standards in owners’ management companies (OMCs) are central to sustainable communities in these estates. OMCs and their directors are responsible for the stewardship of shared facilities, amenities, and services.

This guide helps directors of OMCs to navigate important areas of corporate governance. It will also be of interest to housing bodies and local authorities, landlords, homeowners, auditors, accountants, management agents, and others providing services to OMCs.

The guide:

• Identifies ten key considerations for directors of OMCs
• Provides practical guidance and insights on how to comply with requirements and achieve the objectives of an OMC
• Suggests further sources of information and advice.

Click here to register for this free event.

Upon registration a confirmation email will issue with information about how to join the webinar.

This webinar will be recorded for future use.

Register to attend this webinar

View the CLH Launch Flyer

The #Housing2030 initiative partners – Housing Europe, UNECE and UN-Habitat – are proud to present the fourth and final in a series of thematic conferences: “Shaping investment pathways to deliver affordable housing”. This event is presented in association with The Housing Agency.

The conference will offer informed discussion on the challenges that we face in providing sufficient investment and funding for the development of affordable housing options. We will also address some of the challenges that globalised finance can pose with regard to meeting the objectives of access to affordable, quality homes for all.

Register here

Agenda

All time slots are Irish Standard Time (IST) / Central European Summer Time -1 (CEST-1)

09:00-09:05; Welcome

John O’Connor, Chief Executive Officer, The Housing Agency

09:05-09:15; Opening address

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, Ireland

​​09:15-09:30; #Housing2030 Partners Contribution on Financing for Affordable Housing

Doris Andoni, Chair of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management
Bent Madsen, President of Housing Europe
Christophe Lalande, Housing Lead Specialist – Land, Housing and Shelter Section, UN-Habitat

09:30-09:50; Keynote Address

Josh Ryan-Collins, Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

09:50-10:10; The ‘affordable housing finance’ toolkit

Michelle Norris, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin

10:10-10:50; Q&A Session

The speakers on this panel have recorded three podcasts under the title ‘Shaping investment pathways to deliver affordable housing’. Attendees are encouraged to listen to these interventions in advance of the webinar, as this session will be a Q&A only. The podcasts at the link provided to the right.

David Orr, #Housing2030 Co-Chair, Moderator

Michelle Norris, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin
Manuel Aalbers, KU Leuven School of Geography & Tourism
Grzegorz Gajda, European Investment Bank

10:50-11:00; Virtual coffee break

11:00-11:40; “How can we use finance and related regulations and institutions to improve affordable housing outcomes?”

Representatives of national and local governments, social and affordable housing providers and policy experts will share their experiences with innovative policies which have succeeded in generating funding for the delivery of affordable housing options.

Elena Szolgayova, #Housing2030 Co-Chair, Moderator

Barry O’Leary, Housing Finance Agency of Ireland
Emmanuelle Cosse, l’Union sociale pour l’habitat (USH)
Solveig Råberg Tingey, The Danish Federation of Non-Profit Housing Providers (BL)
​Javier Burón Cuadrado, Housing Division – Barcelona City Council
Jarosław Pucek, National Property Agency of Poland (KZN)

11:40-11:45; Summary of the day’s discussions
Elena Szolgayova, #Housing2030 Co-Chair
David Orr, #Housing2030 Co-Chair

11:45; Adjourn

The Housing Agency recently presented a webinar of international experts delivering insights into the regulation and management of apartments and multi-unit developments. 

With apartment living on the rise, this recording will be of interest to a wide audience including housing practitioners, professionals, regulators and officials, scholars, and providers.

Speakers explored innovations and trends affecting apartment/condominium living in their countries, and what the future may hold. The implications of the pandemic for apartment living will be considered.

All information correct as of broadcast date. The views expressed in the recording below do not necessarily represent the views of The Housing Agency. Broadcast date: 15 December 2020. Click below to watch:

This webinar featured contributions from the following international speakers, followed by roundtable/Q&A

The Housing Agency and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) jointly hosted a lunchtime webinar on the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants in managed residential estates, such as apartment developments.

David Rouse, advisor with The Housing Agency, discussed legal relationships in managed estates, and the relevance of the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 to landlords and tenants. Emer Morrissey, Assistant Director, Head of Dispute Resolution at the RTB, addressed rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants and dispute resolution in the context of managed estates.

The views expressed by the speakers in this video are not necessarily those of The Housing Agency. All information correct as of broadcast date: 3 November 2020.

Ireland shares many housing challenges with other developed economies, for example, providing the right housing in the right places, addressing affordability and ensuring that our housing stock contributes to sustainability - both sustainable communities and environmental sustainability.

Delivered in a virtual format, The Housing Agency's Housing Conference 2020 will explore these challenges in themed mid-morning sessions over the course of a week. Each session will provide expert input, followed by questions and discussion.

The final session will provide an opportunity for housing practitioners to network and learn about opportunities to further their professional skills and career development.

Participation in each webinar is free, but advance registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Download the Housing Conference 2020 Agenda

To register for each webinar please click one of the links below:

All times above are Irish Standard Time

Please note that these sessions may be recorded for future use.
 

The Housing Agency's vision is to promote sustainable communities.

Recently The Housing Agency hosted 'Building Sustainable Communities: National & International Perspectives', a series of webinars that considered some of the key elements of future resilient and sustainable communities. Many thanks to our expert speakers for contributing to the series.

Aligning the provision of housing with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, The European Green Deal, and the National Climate Action Plan 2019 is a response to ensure that housing will be put on a more resilient and sustainable path.

The positive impact of housing and communities; economic effectiveness; inclusion and participation; and cultural adequacy (Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing). The Autumn webinar series built on topics discussed in the Summer webinar series and explores four topics which can facilitate a more resilient and sustainable approach to housing: EU funding for building sustainable housing; the German DGNB Sustainable Building Certification; Community led town centre regeneration; and Sustainable Transport and Housing.

Please click below to view each webinar. Alternatively, view the complete playlist on The Housing Agency's YouTube channel.

The views expressed by the speakers in these videos are not necessarily those of The Housing Agency. All information correct as of broadcast date.

• Financing the future of housing: Insights on EU funding for sustainable housing from across Europe
  A panel featuring: Lily Maxwell, European Federation for Living; York Ostermeyer, Chalmers University; and  Marie Longueville-Chouteau, Vilogia. (15 Oct 2020)
   
• People Power: Community-led town centre regeneration in Dumfries, Scotland
  Scott Mackay, Midsteeple Quarter project (22 Oct 2020)
   
• Mobility makes sense: Walkability, neighbourhood design and the future of mobility and housing in Ireland
  Lorraine Darcy, Technological University Dublin (30 Oct 2020)
   
• Making sustainability happen: Insights from Germany on the DGNB Sustainable Building Certification System.
  Levan Ekhvaia and Stephan Anders, DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) (5 Nov 2020)

The State could save €900 million over 30 years[i] as a result of direct public investment in Supported Housing for older people, research conducted by The Housing Agency has found.

‘Thinking Ahead: The Financial Benefits of Investing in Supported Housing for Older People’, found that, by supporting people to live in homes suited to their needs, an average annual Government saving of €4,650[ii] per person can be made, compared to that individual remaining in their current home or moving into long term residential care.

The figures are based on the provision of Supported Housing for 11,400 people over the next 10 years, a number derived from expected projections in Ireland’s population aged over 80 during this time period.[iii] 

Supported Housing is housing built specifically for older people, offering some level of care and support.

At the launch of this research today, co-authors Roslyn Molloy and Rory Mulholland outlined the range of Supported Housing options explored and the benefits derived from each:

·        Independent Living accommodation (where a low level of additional services would be required) provided through social housing for one older person would generate an annual benefit of €4,700.

·        Assisted Living accommodation (where there may be a healthcare manager, housing manager, or an activities coordinator on site, and day care/primary care centres nearby) provided through social housing for one older person would generate an annual benefit of €5,200.

·        Specialised Living accommodation (where social and healthcare staff would be on-site, meals would be provided, and care supports would be available 24-7, similar to nursing home care) provided through social housing for one older person would generate an annual benefit of €2,200.

Privately-funded Supported Housing could potentially generate annual savings of €4,000, €9,200 and €20,000 for each accommodation type respectively. Additional savings from private provision are due to the absence of capital costs being met up-front by the State.

Launching the report, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD, said:

“As a nation we are living longer, and the number of older people in our population is set to grow significantly in the next ten years. In response, this Government recognises the need to plan ahead to meet the housing and healthcare needs of an ageing population. This research is a significant step in our ongoing work in this area.”

Chief Executive of The Housing Agency, John O’Connor, said:

“While this research began pre- Covid-19, its relevance as we continue to deal with the global pandemic is clear. This year has shown us the power of community.

“Through Supported Housing, many older people can remain in their own communities and maintain a level of independence that would otherwise be lost. It strengthens their connection to family and friends, and provides them with a secure home.

“For many people, residential nursing home care may be the most appropriate form of care into their later years. However, for many the availability of a Supported Housing option would provide a welcome alternative and come with a significant saving to the State. Such savings come from preventing or delaying the need for an older person to access nursing home care, but also by reducing the care needs of those who would otherwise stay in standard accommodation.”

Research outlined in Thinking Ahead: The Financial Benefits of Investing in Housing for Older People was conducted as part of a range of recommended actions under the policy statement ‘Housing Options for Our Ageing Population’, published by the Government in March 2019. 

The Housing Agency and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) will jointly host a lunchtime webinar on the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants in managed residential estates, such as apartment developments.

David Rouse, advisor with The Housing Agency, will discuss legal relationships in managed estates, and the relevance of the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 to landlords and tenants.

Emer Morrissey, Assistant Director, Head of Dispute Resolution at the RTB, will address rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants and dispute resolution in the context of managed estates.

The hour-long session will take place at 12pm on Tuesday 3 November 2020.

Click here to register

Registration is required to participate in this free webinar. To register please click above or visit https://zoom.us/j/93563175057?pwd=Y1NVYUFVQnZGSW5RZm0yY0gra2l1dz09. Places are limited to 1,000 participants, on a first-come first-served basis.

Webinar Programme

• Introduction & background
• Presentations:
  • David Rouse, The Housing Agency
  • Emer Morrissey, Residential Tenancies Board
  • Q&A

Please note that this session will be recorded for future use.