Social housebuilder Tuath targets 1,000 homes after record €161m spend
Michael Cogley NOT-FOR-PROFIT housebuilder Tuath spent more than €161m providing new homes in Ireland last year, new figures show.
The approved housing body now has more than 4,400 homes under management across the country, acquiring 654 of them throughout 2018. The organisation secured the homes through a mix of the State’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), the Capital Advance Leasing Facility, private finance, and the mortgage-to-rent scheme. The houses were spread across 25 local authorities, housing more than 2,000 people.
Tuath Housing chief executive Sean O’Connor said that its 2018 spend was “imperative in helping the thousands looking for housing”.
“By working in each local authority area in the country, Tuath is providing family housing in both urban and rural areas, homeless accommodation and supported housing for the elderly and people with disabilities,” he said.
“By working collaboratively with local authorities, developers, funders, other approved housing bodies, Nama, the Department of Housing and the Housing Agency, Tuath has had another very successful year of delivery in 2018.”
O’Connor said the provision of social and affordable housing has become even more essential to “breaking the vicious cycle of rising house prices and spiralling rents nationwide”.
The Tuath chief also said that the organisation has plans to deliver another 1,000 homes across the country this year. The first 200 of which will be secured by the end of March. By the end of July 2019, Tuath will have more than 5,000 homes under management, making it one of the country’s largest landlords. Tuath is also working alongside fellow approved housing body Respond on the country’s first cost-rental pilot scheme.