COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, May 10, 2021
QUESTION NO. 31
QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons
To ask the Chief Executive for a report into how many housing associations that the council deals with? and to detail locations and amount of housing they look after? How do Council check the credentials of these housing associations?
REPLY:
Twenty-two Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are operating in the Council's administrative area as follows:
| Approved Housing Body |
| Arlington Novas Ireland |
| Circle Voluntary Housing Association |
| Clanmill Housing Association Ireland |
| Cluid Housing Association |
| Dublin Simon Community |
| Focus Housing Association |
| FOLD Housing Association Ireland |
| Housing Association for Integrated Living (HAIL) |
| I-Care Housing |
| Co-operative Housing Ireland |
| New Hope Residential Centre |
| North & East Housing Association |
| Oaklee Housing |
| P.A.C.E (Prisoners Aid through Community Effort) |
| Peter Mc Verry Trust Housing Association |
| RESPOND |
| Saoirse Housing Association |
| SONAS Domestic Violence Charity |
| Sophia Housing Association |
| St. John of God's Housing Association |
| St. Michael's House |
| Tuath Housing Association |
These AHBs own/manage a total of 2,486 properties countywide:
| Local Electoral Area | No. of Homes |
| Clondalkin | 597 |
| Firhouse-Bohernabreena | 90 |
| Lucan | 301 |
| Palmerstown-Fonthill | 67 |
| Rathfarnham-Templeogue | 75 |
| Tallaght Central | 539 |
| Tallaght South | 817 |
| Grand Total | 2,486 |
The Voluntary Regulation Code for AHBs in Ireland was launched in July 2013 with all AHBs required to sign up to this code prior to seeking funding approval from the Council and the DHLGH. The code is supported by three additional standards developed by the AHB Regulation Office: a revised Financial Standard (October 2019, providing for robust financial regulation of the sector.), a Performance Standard (December 2018, defining and setting the standard for essential service performance from AHBs for tenancy, housing and asset management) and the Governance Standard (2017, building upon the existing principles of the code by setting out six principles of good governance).
In February 2021, an Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was established with responsibility for governance and regulation of the AHB sector. When fully oeprational, AHBRA will: establish and maintain a register of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs); prepare standards by which AHBs are monitored and assessed; encourage and facilitate better governance, administration and management, including corporate governance and financial management of AHBs. The Regulatory Authority also has powers to carry out investigations and cancel the registration of AHBs.