It is the policy of the Housing Section of Carlow County Council:

• To enable every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment and as far as possible at a tenure of their choice.
• To promote home ownership and a thriving more diverse and well managed rented sector, both public and private.
• To maintain the living and construction standards of all properties to a high standard.
• To liaise with our tenants and social partners to ensure that present and future requirements are expedited.

Carlow County Council’s activities as a Housing Authority can be summarised under the following headings:

• The provision, management and maintenance of rented Social Housing
• The review and update of social housing demand
• The provision of self-help grants to enable tenants carry out improvements to their homes
• The promotion of home ownership by encouraging the housing procurement alternatives (mortgage allowance, home loans etc.)
• The improvement of accommodation, for both the elderly and disabled persons, by way of grant assistance under Housing Adaptation Grants for People with a Disability, Mobility Aids Grants and Housing Aid for Older People Grants.
• The provision and management of accommodation for vulnerable groups
• The facilitation of approved voluntary and non-profit housing organisations in the provision of housing and communal facilities.
• Operation of Rental Accommodation Scheme/Leasing schemes and the Housing Assistance Payment for social housing provision. • Operation of the Mortgage to Rent Scheme.

Housing & Social Policy Strategic Policy Committee

The Housing, Recreation, Amenity and Community Strategic Policy Committee held meetings in February, May and December in 2017. The issues considered at these meetings included the following:

• Age Friendly Strategy
• Anti Social Behaviour
• Grants
• Housing Assistance Payment
• Housing Allocations Scheme
• Capital Projects 2015-2017
• Homelessness
• Housing Needs Assessment

Housing Activity in 2017

The Council meets housing need in the county by the direct provision of accommodation or assisting individuals to provide their own accommodation. Improvement Works in Lieu of Re-housing, Housing Aid for Older People, Mobility Aids Grants and Housing Adaptation Grants for People with a Disability also contributed to meeting housing need by adapting the existing homes to meet the needs of the occupants.
The following projects were completed in 2017:

• 24 units Royal Oak Road, Bagenalstown
• 4 units at Pound Lane, Borris
• 4 units at Mount Leinster Park, Carlow.
• 5 Apartments at Maryborough Street, Carlow.
• 10 units at Rathvilly, Co. Carlow
• 1 unit at Drummin, Co. Carlow.
• 14 units were purchased finalised in 2017.

Units at Mount Leinster Park.

The following projects were in progress and due to be completed in 2018:

• 5 units at The Laurels, Carlow
• 4 units at Myshall, Co. Carlow
• 63 units at Tullow Road, Carlow Turnkey Development
• 5 units at Castleoaks, Carlow

Schemes at proposal stage with Department were as follows:

• 4 units at Myshall, Co. Carlow
• 16 units at Ard Na Gréine, Tullow
• 21 units at Dublin Road, Tullow
• 8 units at Rathvilly, Co. Carlow.
• 4 units at Hackettstown, Co. Carlow.
• 2 units at Bilboa, Co. Carlow.

Approved Housing Bodies

The following schemes were in progress in 2017:

• 10 units at Barrett Street, Bagenalstown Tinteán
• 26 units at Sleaty Street, Carlow – Cluid
• 5 units at Royal Oak Road, Bagenalstown

RAS and Leasing

The Housing Section has a total of 434 properties under the Rental Accommodation Scheme at the end of 2017, this includes 5 properties which were added in 2017. In 2017, 24 new units were taken on under the Social Housing Leasing initiative resulting in a total of 62 properties in this scheme.

Housing Assistance Payment

Carlow County Council continued to offer support through the HAP Scheme with a total of 588 active properties in 2017. We continue to meet our weekly target on acquiring properties.

Traveller Accommodation

The Housing Section continues to implement the Traveller Accommodation Programme 2014 – 2018. Targets under the Programme for the accommodation of Travellers are being achieved.

Housing Loans

67 housing loan applications were received in 2017, of which 13 were approved.

Grants

Three hundred and twelve applications for disabled and elderly grants were approved during 2017. Carlow County Council received an allocation of €2.18m, of which €436,000 was provided from own resources, for the payment of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Grants for People with a Disability.

Schemes

• Repair to Let Scheme – 34 expressions of interest received of which 4 applications were progressed.
• Buy and Renew Scheme – 15 properties were examined with sales finalised on 4 properties.

Energy Efficiency Programme

The Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government continued to fund the improvement of social housing stock in 2017 with grant aid of €280,000 for energy efficiency works to housing stock.