Drivers for Sustainable Financing and Innovation for Delivery Key Themes at National Social Housing Conference, Sligo, 19-20 Oct. 2022

“The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) is very pleased to be hosting our first in-person annual social housing conference since 2019. The current challenges facing public and private residential construction are increasingly more complex and systemic, and this urgently requires a cohesive national response from the private, not-for-profit and state sectors. Our conference brings the people and skills together who can and must respond to the critical housing needs of our population through affordable and sustainable solutions”. So says Donal McManus, CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing, at the ICSH Biennial Finance & Development Conference, sponsored by AIB, in Sligo on 19-20 October 2022.

Approved housing bodies (AHBs) have a central role under the government’s Housing for All plan. Our sector’s targets are to deliver 40% of the 9,500 social homes to be delivered annually and one-third of the 2,000 cost rental homes to be built annually to 2026; these are challenging but achievable targets. However, supply chain issues and spiralling inflation are impacting on current AHB delivery and pipeline projections. So, more than ever, sustainable financing models are key for AHBs to deliver on this multi-annual social and cost rental housing programme, a programme that represents a long-term response to increasing cost-of-living pressures for Irish households. At the conference, the ICSH will launch a ‘strategic financial road map’, designed to enable AHBs to continue to deliver social, affordable and supported housing at scale in accordance with the government’s Housing for All action plan.

Cathy Bryce, Managing Director of AIB Capital Markets said: “AIB continues to be fully committed to social housing as a force for environmental and social good.  We recognise the ambitious social housing plans set out by government and we are determined to play our part in helping them achieve those ambitions.  That’s why AIB is delighted to be the main sponsor of the ICSH annual conference once again.  We look forward to the sharing of ideas and the development of solutions from a broad range of attendees at this year’s event.”

At the ICSH Biennial Finance & Development Conference – Leading the Housing Sector Towards a Sustainable Financial Future, we will hear from a range of speakers on key themes emerging for the private and public housing sectors that include sustainable financing solutions; innovative and affordable housing delivery; vacancy, retrofitting and revitalising town and urban centres; and collaborative solutions to secure the future of the AHB sector. A video welcome from Mr Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, will open the two-day conference, supported by AIB, which brings together more than 300 leaders and innovators from the public, private and non-profit sectors, including active AHBs.

The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), the national federation for non-profit housing associations, will hold its Biennial Social Housing Finance & Development Conference, Leading the Housing Sector Towards a Sustainable Financial Future, sponsored by AIB, on Wednesday and Thursday, 19th & 20th October in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Sligo. The full programme for the conference is available at: https://icsh.ie/wp-content/uploads/ICSH-Conference-2022-Programme.pdf

About the ICSH

• The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), established in 1982, The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) is the national federation for non-profit housing associations (also known as approved housing bodies), representing more than 270 member organisations that provide social housing. The sector owns and manages more than 50,000 homes for families on a low income, older people, disabled people, and households experiencing homelessness in over 900 communities throughout Ireland.
• Key speakers at the conference will include:

• Eduardo González de Molina, Policy Consultant at the Barcelona City Council Housing Department: His research focuses on exploring how a mission-oriented and market-shaping approach can influence how housing policy can unleash affordable housing supply using symbiotic public-private partnerships.
• David McCourt, Head of Asset Management & Property Services, Co-Operative Housing Ireland (CHI): CHI is an AHB with more than 4,000 properties. David will be talking about their deep energy retrofit of older stock (a key focus for CHI), SEAI funding and the role of the One-Stop-Shops.
• Brenna O’Roarty, Executive Director, RHL Strategic Solutions: With over 25 years’ experience in strategic real estate research, Brenna has amassed a deep understanding of structural and market risks. Brenna is particularly adept at identifying the strategic implications of structural and market trends on the industry, on investment opportunities and risk considerations.
• Luke Cross, Director, Social, Certified B Corporation: Luke leads Social Invest, a communications consultancy working both investor-side and sector-side primarily in the placemaking and built environments, supporting organisations with their thinking and approaches across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) socially responsible investment and purpose-driven finance.
• Brian Dillon, National Coordinator, Cena – Culturally Appropriate Homes: Brian Dillon is National Coordinator of Cena, a Traveller-led Approved Housing Body and a Town Planner by profession. His first-hand experience with the Traveller community in Ireland dates back to research undertaken for the Task Force on the Traveller Community in the 1990s and he has, in his coordination capacity with Cena, been responsible for pioneering user-led approaches to designing, developing and managing Traveller appropriate accommodation.
• Mick Forde Bradley, Senior Executive Architect, Limerick City & County Council: Mick Forde Bradley, an architect and sustainability expert, spent almost 15 years living and working with dense affordable housing projects in Copenhagen as co-owner of ZESO Architects. He relocated back to Ireland – the ecovillage in Cloughjordan in 2020. He joined Limerick City and County Council in September 2020 and is Project Manager for several sites in the city being evaluated for the provision of affordable mixed tenure homes.
• Kate Innes, Chief Finance Officer, Clúid Housing: Kate is the Chief Finance Officer at Clúid Housing Association having joined in March 2021. She has strategic and delivery responsibility for finance, procurement, treasury, corporate finance, and risk management. Prior to joining Clúid, Kate was the interim CFO for the Welsh Revenue Authority.
• Micheál Keohane, Managing Director, Modern Homes Ireland (MHI): Micheál Keohane is the Managing Director of Modern Homes Ireland (MHI), Irelands largest volumetric modular company. Micheál is also a Director with BAM in Ireland. He has worked across a diverse range of sectors including PPP, housing, FM, public infrastructure (both civil and accommodation works), pharma and commercial developments.
• Colm O’Mahony, Housing/Commercial Delivery Manager, South East Energy Agency: Colm is a certified passive house and Net Zero Energy Building Designer, NZEB Site Supervisor, and Building Energy Rating (BER) assessor. He has vast experience within the construction industry, project coordinating and ensuring quality assurance in the delivery of numerous energy renovations within the domestic sector. Colm assisted in the coordination and delivery of over 60 dwellings through SEAI’s Deep Retrofit Pilot programme and is coordinating and QA officer for the delivery of current domestic retrofit projects/programmes.