Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans to address social and affordable housing needs in their areas over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. A copy of each Council’s Housing Delivery Action Plan is available on their individual websites.

Sligo and Leitrim do not have specific affordable housing targets as the assessed level of affordability need is not high and house prices are below the national median. However, support is available to both local authorities to develop affordable purchase or cost rental housing from the Affordable Housing Fund where localised affordability needs may arise. Neither local authority has applied for AHF funding to date but assistance in developing schemes is available from my Department, the LGMA and the Housing Agency if required.

Supports to make refurbishing a vacant home more affordable are available also and are likely to be of greater relevance to more rural counties like Sligo and Leitrim. The Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund provides up to €70k in grant funding to enable vacant and derelict properties to be brought back into use as homes. To date, 240 grant applications have been received and 175 approved by Sligo County Council and 147 have been received by Leitrim, with 91 approved and the grant is proving very successful in making obtaining a home more affordable in those counties.