The role of housing associations in the housing market in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Housing associations have played an increasingly prominent role in the delivery of social housing in recent years. The early 1990s marked a shift in government policy away from reliance on direct local-authority provision towards enabling a range of alternative housing options. Several measures have been introduced to promote the expansion and diversification of the voluntary-housing sector and encourage it to play a greater role in the provision of mainstream social housing for low-income families. This research examined the role of the voluntary-housing sector in the housing system of the Republic of Ireland. This was achieved by undertaking a postal questionnaire survey of housing associations, conducting in-depth interviews with representatives of thirty housing associations and in- depth interviews and group discussions with public-sector officials from the DOEHLG and the local authorities.