DUBLIN TO HOST INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL HOUSING FESTIVAL 2025

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Dublin has been selected to host the International Social Housing Festival in 2025, an initiative by Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Co-operative and Social Housing, its members and allies across 25 countries.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien, who accepted the handover to Dublin for 2025, pictured alongside Donal McManus, CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing, and Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency, at the closing ceremony of ISHF 2023 in Barcelona on 9 June

Donal McManus, CEO of the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), said that in association with Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) and Housing Europe, ICSH was pleased that Dublin has been selected to host the next ISHF in 2025.

“Hosting the event in Dublin is an opportunity to learn from international best practice in terms of public housing delivery, while also demonstrating some of the work underway in Ireland to ramp-up delivery under the ‘Housing for All’ plan.

“We’re delighted to have the support from our delivery partners including the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’ Brien, the Housing Agency, the Housing Finance Agency, Dublin’s four local authorities, the UCD Geary Institute and Fáilte Ireland.”

Tina Donaghy, President of the ICSH, noted that hosting the event in Dublin will allow both approved housing bodies and local authorities to demonstrate the progress made under the government’s housing plan.

“It is also an opportunity to share ideas and learn from the experiences of our colleagues both in Europe and further afield. The housing crisis we are feeling here is impacting so many people, young and old, especially the most vulnerable. Sharing information and solutions is important as we seek to deliver more much-needed homes.”

The International Social Housing Festival (ISHF) is an initiative by Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Co-operative and Social Housing, and its members and allies, present in 25 countries and encompassing 25 million dwellings: 11% of the housing stock in the European Union.

The first ISHF took place in Amsterdam in 2017 and was attended by some 1,300 people with a total of 45 events over two days. The second was organised in Lyon in 2019 and involved some 5,000 participants and 70 events over four days.

The third, planned for 2021 had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finally took place in June 2022 in Helsinki, where about 1,000 people participated in 80 different activities over three days. The 2023 festival took place in Barcelona on 7-9 June.

For background information on the festival visit https://socialhousingfestival.eu/about/