Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

That is great. I thank the Minister for that.

I support amendment No. 892. It is an excellent amendment. There is a huge amount that can be done in the area of community-led housing organisations, housing co-operatives and community land trusts. I do not think anybody is suggesting that all housing supply will come from this, but it could be a hugely valuable part of housing supply. It has the advantages Deputy Duffy mentioned, that it can be more affordable and accessible. There are also huge advantages in terms of community-building and everything that falls out of that as well, such as people getting to know their neighbours, well-being and mental health benefits, and people feeling safer in an area where they are part of a good community. When communities are involved in designing their own housing, it works well. One of the things that is done well in some other countries, which applies particular in social and affordable housing but other types as well, is not everything is built out before people move in. For example, at the weekend I visited someone in my constituency who lives in a new social housing unit. The courtyard had been completed and the planting was all done. The person I was visiting said that this was a pity because they would have liked to have been involved in that.

I know it is only a small thing but it does give people ownership and participation. It is one of the things that is done really well in some other countries, where everything is not finished out to the last degree and sometimes the residents decide when they move in how they will spend their budget on getting the community rooms fitted out and the sort of facilities they want there. I am not arguing for a delay in providing those facilities but sometimes involving the residents is really positive. That is actually done very well in community-led housing. It is not just that housing is provided; there is a group of people involved in designing and running it and taking care of the amenities. It gives much better buy-in than other standard forms of housing. This is an excellent amendment and I urge the Minister to support it.