Calls for cost rental homes

Cork Simon said it would like to see a substantial rollout of cost rental housing which its Director Dr Dermot Kavanagh said would be a greatly ease the housing and homeless crisis on Leeside.

He told the media at the launch of its latest report on Monday: “We would to see 20,000 cost rental units built across the country. These are essentially a form of social housing where the rents are linked to the cost of building the unit and where people can’t afford that there’s some form of subsidy provided.

“That’s 20,000 units nationally and would mean 2,000 in Cork. You can imagine what difference those such 2,000 units would make. It would transform the situation.”

Cost rental, according to the National Economic and Social Council, is when a housing provider raises the finance to provide accommodation and then charges rents that are sufficient to cover current and capital costs.

He said that the cost rental system is widely used in Germany and Austria while adding that in Ireland there’s a strong and important belief in owning your own home. Dr Kavanagh that this system would mean owning an affordable home.

“For many people, home ownership is out of reach and affordability and security of tenure are the key and that’s where the focus must be now,” he continued.

He said that tackling homelessness requires a real and effective partnership between voluntary agencies such as Cork Simon, local authorities and the health services.