Promoting the Benefits of social Housing - The Irish Council for ...

NEWSICSH Annual Regional MeetingsICSH Social HousingIn June and early July this year, the membership of theIrish Council for Social Housing came together in sevenregional meetings hosted throughout the country.A total of 250 delegates all ICSH membersattended the meetings.They were held to brief members on recentchanges and issues that directly affect them andto give members the opportunity to raise localissues. Members also have the opportunity tomeet with other housing associations in theirareas and share information specific to theirregion. Elections for ICSH Board Members fromeach region were also held.The recent round up of meetings looked ata wide range of topics including streamliningcurrent procedures in the capital funding schemes, theimpact of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) andPart V, governance for housing associations, housing andcare issues including the defined revenue funding schemefor sheltered housing schemes and a pilot CCTV project forhousing projects for older people as well as an update onthe ICSH Group Insurance Scheme.Dublin & East Regional MeetingOver the course of the regional meetings, ICSH memberswere given the opportunity to discuss different aspects ofthe proposed streamlined approval process and in particularwhat specific implications the many new changes had forhousing associations.Martina Rooney, Development Officer, in her reviewof the sector on a regional basis also went throughthe capital funding available to housing associations.Increases in the capital funding limits were discussedand the ICSH highlighted the continuing commitmentfrom the Department of Environment, Heritage and LocalGovernment (DoEHLG) in developing the voluntary and cooperativesector. A number of members highlighted theneed for adjustments in the funding limits to be applied on“Efforts ofHousingAssociationsare beingundermined bypolicies of otherGovernmentDepartments”.a more consistent basis to reflect increasing building costs.Some associations felt that the increase did not do enoughto alleviate the problem of high cost of land in urban areas.Donal McManus, ICSH Executive Director, tookmembers through a step by step guide to theproposed new process for streamlining theapproval and application process for housingprojects. This includes proposals to give moredevolved sanctioning powers to local authoritiesfor projects up a certain value to appraise theproject and confirm the funding.Raised for discussion was the plan to facilitate100% CAS funding if housing associationshoused 100% of people from the localauthority housing waiting list. Some memberswould welcome the change, particularly for schemes forhomeless people and people with disabilities. Membershighlighted the difficulties small housing associations havein raising the 5% contribution, others felt that safeguardsneeded to be built in whereby housing associations couldstill opt for the 5% contribution.Also highlighted were some ongoing issues relatingto housing and care, in particular the need for greaterclarity in the relationship between the HSE and the LocalAuthorities in terms of the DoEHLG funded mortgages.Some members are experiencing serious difficulties insecuring rent allowance for their tenants and this, in turn,is threatening the viability of the scheme as there is norental income to the housing association.Caren Gallagher, Projects Officer, spoke on the governancerequirements of housing associations discussing howhousing associations straddle three areas of compliancewith the Companies Registration Office under their legalregistration, the Revenue Commissioners for charitablestatus and the Department of the Environment, Heritageand Local Government in relation to Approved Status. Itwas felt by some Members that the huge level of workundertaken by voluntary board members across the countrySouth Regional Meeting