Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009

Chapter 3

Social Housing Support

Provision of social housing support.

19.— (1) A housing authority may, in accordance with the Housing Acts 1966 to 2009 and regulations made thereunder, provide, facilitate or manage the provision of social housing support.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), social housing support may include all or any of the following:

(a) dwellings provided by a housing authority under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2009 or provided under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 , other than affordable housing;

(b) dwellings provided by an approved body;

(c) the sale of a dwelling under Part 3;

(d) entering into and maintaining rental accommodation availability agreements;

(e) the provision of sites for caravans referred to in section 13 of the Act of 1988 and any accommodation provided to travellers under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998 ;

(f) the provision of sites for building purposes under section 57 of the Principal Act.

(3) A housing authority may, in accordance with the Housing Acts 1966 to 2009 and regulations made thereunder, for the purposes of providing social housing support to households, whether provided on a permanent or temporary basis—

(a) purchase, build, lease or otherwise acquire dwellings or sites,

(b) convert buildings, and

(c) refurbish dwellings.

(4) In performing its functions under subsections (2) and (3) a housing authority shall have regard to its housing services plan and the need to—

(a) counteract undue segregation in housing between persons of different social backgrounds, and

(b) ensure that a mixture of dwelling types and sizes and of classes of tenure is provided to reasonably match the requirements of households.

(5) A housing authority may, with the approval of the Minister, enter into a public private partnership arrangement for the performance of its functions under subsection (1).

(6) The power of a housing authority to provide dwellings and sites for building purposes under the Housing Acts 1966 to 2009 shall, in the case of a county council, be deemed to include, and always to have included, a power to provide dwellings or sites, as the case may be, in a town listed in Part 2 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act 2001 , as if, for the purpose of such provision, the town formed part of the administrative area of the council.