Ms Valerie O'Sullivan:

I thank the committee for this opportunity for Cork City Council to report on progress on addressing our housing challenges. We have structured it, like other authorities, in accordance with the pillars set out in Rebuilding Ireland.

Similar to other cities, Cork has experienced strong demand for housing in recent years. Progress is good, given that we began delivery from a standing start, but significant barriers remain that must be overcome to deliver the appropriate accommodation types to meet the diverse demands in a timely manner. The population of Cork city increased by more than 5% between 2011 and 2016, with a net inward migration of 4,390 people, directly correlating to increased employment levels and opportunities in the city. Our five-yearly employment survey shows that employment in the city grew by 9% in the same period. In terms of economic development, it is very encouraging but it underlines the urgency of addressing the housing supply shortage. Not only is the supply issue a social challenge; equally it is an economic challenge and unless tackled is a potential obstacle to future employment and economic growth in Cork city. In 2016, a Cork Chamber of Commerce survey found that 72% of big employers perceived employee accommodation to be a challenge and the same number stated it was an upward driver of wage demands.

Cork City Council has programmes in place to meet the housing needs of its 4,629 eligible housing applicants, which was the figure at the end of May. We have adopted a number of particularly innovative approaches to deliver additional housing units, resulting in a notable turnaround of previously vacant units and commencement of construction on six sites across the city, with a further nine imminent. Most noteworthy is our use of the EU competitive dialogue procurement procedure, which has proven very successful in unlocking viable development opportunities more rapidly than traditional procurement models. It is our considered view that the use of this procurement option could be a model for other housing authorities facing similar challenges, particularly the big urban areas, and that its wider use across the State could speed up social housing provision.

We will have provided a total of 1,349 new homes for eligible applicants between 2015 and 2017. In addition, we will have facilitated almost 2,000 applicants to access suitable housing under the housing assistance payment scheme in the same period. Therefore, by the end of the current year, Cork City Council will have housed, either directly or indirectly, 3,345 housing applicants. It is essential to provide sustainable housing in a manner and in such a quantity as to meet the needs of applicants, both in numbers and profile. To this end, empirical data had to drive our programme. Our choice-based letting scheme was introduced in 2015. It was a key provider of empirical data that shaped our programme for us. At the end of May, 55% of those eligible for housing had engaged with CBL. We have allocated about 424 units since it came into operation.

Pillar 1 is to address homelessness. As is expected by the Minister and our elected members, we are addressing the level of family homelessness to divert families from emergency and hotel accommodation. We have long had a programme in place to address the needs of the most vulnerable in the city. We have processes in place to identify people at risk of homelessness and to support them through our tenancy sustainment service, as well as assisting those in mortgage arrears. We established, for example, the Cork homeless forum in the mid-1990s, which is still operating today at regional level, and we work closely with other forum members to address the multi-layered needs of our homeless population. Recently, we reconfigured the housing directorate, which has allowed us to deliver better with the HSE South, Cork County Council, Kerry County Council and the Cork Education and Training Board.

Specific actions we undertake include-----