One of the solutions might already be here: cost-rental housing.
In a piece for the Irish Independent, Sorcha Edwards, Secretary-General of Housing Europe, who also was a member of Ireland’s Housing Commission tasked with advising the government, explained how cost-rental hosuing could help ease housing crises and save public money.
Right now, government schemes like housing assisting payments pour money into the private rental market, covering rising rents that outstrip affordability. But with a stronger cost-rental sector, the State would pay only the true cost of providing housing—not inflated market rates.
And it works: Finland, the Netherlands, and Austria have shown how cost-rental can create affordable, stable homes while making the best of public spending. Our Research Observatory has written a report about the nitty-gritty of the model – read the full report here.
As Professor Michelle Norris, a fellow Housing Commission member and a co-writer of our #Housing2030 report, highlighted: “Sometimes in the national debate on housing there is a huge focus on the current minister, the current government and current policy statements, but problems have built up in our system of housing delivery, planning and the finance of housing over decades. Addressing them requires long-term commitments.”
It is time to shift the conversation beyond today’s policies and focus on building a system for tomorrow.