Voluntary Housing

Voluntary Housing Bodies play an important role in providing rental housing for people who could not otherwise afford to provide suitable accommodation from their own resources. 

The Voluntary Housing Bodies decide on the types of housing projects/services they will provide, having regard to local needs.  They are responsible for tenancy allocations in consultation with the Local Authorities.  They are not-for-profit organisations, concerned with the relief of housing needs and usually take the legal form of housing associations.

Voluntary Housing is supported by Local Authorities and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government under separate schemes, as follows:

Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS)

The Capital Assistance Scheme provides accommodation, generally one or two bedroomed units, to meet special housing needs such as those of the elderly, disabled, homeless or smaller families.

Capital Loan Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)

The Loan Subsidy Scheme provides housing for renting, particularly to meet the needs for low income families.

Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF)

Meath County Council Housing Department was proud to work closely with Tuáth Housing Association in 2011 to provide the first national CALF scheme in a private sought after high spec complex in Knightsbridge Village, Trim, Co. Meath.

CALF is a new hybrid scheme that allows Voluntary Bodies to purchase properties with a part loan obtained through the Local Authority, the rest of the purchase money is sourced by the Voluntary Body themselves through their own resources or private finance. The purchased units are then entered into a Long Term Leasing arrangement for the term of loan whereby there are made available for persons from the Local Authority Housing Waiting List. This innovative scheme is seen as the way forward to providing high quality social housing through the Voluntary Housing Sector in the least costly way to the public purse.