Team work helps create 67 new homes

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien chatting with new tenants Adran Andree Berci and their son, Damian, at the opening of the Riverside development.
Pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan

Approved housing body Co-operative Housing Ireland now owns and manages a total of 315 homes in Kerry, 250 of which have come under management in the last two years alone.
The organisation has now linked up with Focus Ireland and Kerry County Council to open a new 67-house Riverside development Castleisland helping to tackle the long social housing waiting list in the county.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien with tenants Adran, Andree and Damian Berci, Lauren Treanor and Ivana Karaivanova

Pat Dennigan, CEO of Focus Ireland, said the allocated tenants will now have the most basic and fundamental need of their own roof over their head fulfilled, including some coming straight from homeless emergency accommodation and family hubs.

“This is Focus Housing Association’s and Co-operative Housing Ireland’s inaugural partnership and we hope to continue to strengthen our relationship to deliver more social and affordable homes in response to acute rental accommodation shortages and housing supply,” he said.
“This important partnership between our two organisations is delivering permanent homes for families and individuals and the impact of this at a personal level should never be underestimated”.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien officially opening the 67 new homes in Castleisland

CHI Chairperson, Pearse O’Shiel, said community is at the core of everything they do.
“CHI’s national community, of which Riverside tenants are a part, now spans 5,000 homes with more than 14,000 people across 24 counties.
Working in partnership with Kerry County Council is extremely important to CHI. Currently, we have over 300 homes in our development pipeline for the county.”

Speaking at the opening of the development, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, said 2023 was a year of record social housing delivery with almost 12,000 new social homes delivered, a 16 per cent increase on 2022.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien chats with tenants Sorin and Melinda Moisa in their new home

The work of Approved Housing Bodies, such as Focus Housing Association and Co-operative Housing Ireland, remains crucial to our strategy to meet our delivery targets,” he said.
Riverside in Castleisland comprises of 31 homes delivered by Focus Housing Association and 36 homes by Co-operative Housing Ireland.

They were built and developed by Donald Lynch KPH Construction and designed by Meitheal Architectsand the project was fully supported by Kerry County Council.

KillarneyToday.com: No other local publication can match our reach. To advertise call 087-2229761