Sir, - In the space of a couple of years, housing has dropped down the political agenda, with the issues of house prices and expanding local authority waiting lists now scrambling for public attention.
In recent years, the focus on social housing has been on the achievement of targets for delivering more social housing from local authorities and housing associations. Important as this "bricks and mortar" approach is, more concentration in a new programme for government should be placed on the "softer" aspects of social housing policy. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled, in addition to having a roof over their heads, require various forms of on-site care and social supports to assist them to live independently.
Therefore, social housing needs much closer integration with health policy, similar to what has happened with housing and planning policy under the recent Planning and Development Act. The housing solutions of the elderly and disabled are often limited to costly options such as nursing homes or residential care. The development of more community-based supported and sheltered housing would represent much better value for money and would certainly improve the quality of life for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled.
With a "greying" population, a new government needs to make the necessary linkages between housing and health policy fast. It is essential that "joined-up thinking" between government departments becomes part of our vocabulary for resolving the housing problems of the vulnerable in our society. - Yours, etc.,
DONAL MC MANUS,
Executive Director,
Irish Council for
Social Housing,
Merrion Square East,
Dublin 2.