The Housing Agency, established in 2012 as a state-funded body in Ireland, employs housing specialists to address supply shortages, affordability issues, and support for vulnerable groups. Based in Dublin, it collaborates with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities, and approved housing bodies to implement the government's Housing for All plan.
Key activities span four areas: affordability through schemes like Cost Rental Equity Loans, which have funded 557 homes since 2021 with rents tied to provision costs rather than markets; eradicating homelessness via the Housing First programme, delivering 879 tenancies by April 2023 for long-term rough sleepers with complex needs, achieving over 85 percent success; boosting urban supply under the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme targeting 5,000 apartments by 2026; and tackling vacancies through repair-and-lease initiatives that have reactivated 380 units.
Recent efforts include the Cost Rental Tenant in-Situ scheme, launched in 2023 to prevent evictions for low-income renters, and a youth homelessness strategy with pilots for supported housing. Social housing assessments show demand at 57,842 qualified households in 2022, down 57 percent since 2016. The agency also advises on compulsory purchases and retrofitting multi-unit buildings with EU funding.