Modular housing units to be used for emergency homeless accommodation in south Dublin
Modular housing units are to be introduced as emergency accommodation for homeless people in south Dublin.
The pilot scheme is a pillar of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive’s (DRHE) 2025 to 2027 strategy, to reduce its reliance on the private sector for emergency accommodation.
It is understood the scheme would involve the construction of 20 to 30 units, in the vein of the housing schemes delivered for those fleeing war in Ukraine.
While a specific site has not been chosen yet, the units would be placed in an area of the county where the need is greatest in terms of demand for homeless accommodation.
No budget has been outlined, but a South Dublin County Council (SDCC) spokesperson said the units would be “high quality” and appropriate for “households either at risk of, or experiencing homelessness”.
“This process will involve local consultation, market assessment and research, together with assessment of potential suitable locations to inform next steps, including planning permission, procurement and funding options,” they said.
During SDCC’s recent monthly meeting, councillors broadly welcomed the plans, but queried the cost and location of the units.
Independent councillor and chair of the Housing Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), Mick Duff, said “far too much” was being spent on private sector accommodation for homeless people, and these modular units could be a potential solution to that.
“I sincerely do look forward to seeing it in our county, so that we’d be able to offer proper secure accommodation that can be adapted at a later date,” he said.
Mr Duff added that modular buildings were improving in quality all the time, and some of them could now last up to 75 years.
Labour councillor Joanna Tuffy said she supports the idea of modular homes in principle, but worries they might be placed on land not zoned for housing.
“With the modular housing in Lucan, which I fully support on a temporary basis, it was put on land that isn’t zoned for housing,” she said.
“It’s on a green belt between two counties, so I wouldn’t like to see that with the modular housing you’re proposing.
“Certain areas are very highly protected for a reason,” she added.
Councillor William Carey queried the costs of the units and said there was “some debate” over whether the ones delivered for Ukrainians offered good value for money.
Costs for those state-funded modular homes more than doubled from their initial estimates to €442,000 per home, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy found last year.
The increases were put down to supply chain difficulties, inflationary pressures and energy cost increases, along with project-specific difficulties.
In response to councillor queries, SDCC director of housing Elaine Leech said the authority had “put themselves forward” to pilot the scheme, and that costs and funding would be examined further down the line.
“Our proposal is that we will work on this over the next couple of months, and we’ll bring the initial proposal to the housing SPC for consultation,” she said.
“Following that, we will bring it to full council.”