Minister for Finance Pascal Donohoe visited Kilbarry recently to visit a new residential development by Respond which includes 69 new homes including 9 one-bed apartments, 6 two-bed apartments, 26 two-bed houses and 28 three-bed houses.
This project is in partnership with Waterford City and County Council, the Department of Housing and the Housing Finance Agency. This is part of Respond’s National Delivery Programme with 1,086 homes currently under construction and on site.
Repond’s Della Power, Brendan Cummins, Vice Chair, Gillian Ormonde and Ray Fanning onsite at Kilbarry.
Niamh Randall, Head of Advocacy and Communications speaking about this development said:
“Waterford is very important to Respond and our development programme as a national Housing Association. It is where we began our work in 1982 and where we had our first housing scheme. Respond has completed 595 dwellings to date in the Waterford City and County area.
This new development in Kilbarry represents 69 new homes for 69 families and individuals who can create a community here and we hope they will be very happy. The development is due to be completed by mid Quarter 2 – 2020 and would not have happened without the ongoing co-operation and collaboration of our partners. We would like to thank the Waterford City and County Council, Department of Housing, the Housing Agency and the Housing Finance Agency.”
She continued: “We are building homes throughout the country for families and individuals who are in housing need, with 1,086 new homes under construction and on site nationally right now. A secure place to call home is critical to the quality of life and wellbeing of individuals and families. We see first-hand the devastating impact of homelessness and insecure housing in our work with families and children. Our long term aim is to provide lifetime social and affordable homes to a far greater proportion of the population, bringing Ireland more into line with our European counterparts. We have also committed to supporting households and individuals experiencing homelessness on their journey back to independent living and providing safe and secure housing in the short-term in the form of supported temporary emergency accommodation. ”
This development includes a unit mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes to help address social housing need in this area. According to the latest available figures in the Social Housing Needs Assessment (2018) there are almost 1,117 households on the social housing waiting list in Waterford. The Development is 4km from Waterford City Centre. It is accessible via the Outer Ring Road (R710) which connects it to the N25 heading to Cork/Rosslare and linking onto the N9/M9 heading to Dublin.
Niamh Randall, Head of Advocacy and Communications continued speaking about the work of Respond: “Respond believes that every person has the right to a secure, affordable home that meets their needs throughout their lifetime. Our vision is that every family and individual in Ireland will have high-quality housing as part of a vibrant and caring community. This is challenging with the current housing and homeless crisis and we are concerned that the numbers of men, women and children in emergency accommodation continues to grow. At the heart of this is ensuring the supply of social and affordable housing at scale to meet the levels of housing need. We are very clear that all families and individuals want, need and deserve a secure home of their own and that all our efforts must be redoubled to achieve this.”
Respond, who have been working across Ireland for 36 years, continues to offer real on-the-ground solutions by building new homes and actively working with families who are homeless with 1,086 homes under construction and on site this year so far, 6 family hubs and a commitment to deliver 2,500 homes by 2023.
