Approved housing body Respond delivered 44 new social homes in Laois in 2023

Respond, Ireland’s largest construction-led Approved Housing Body and service provider, delivered 44 new social homes in Laois last year.

The organisation now owns and manages 196 homes throughout Laois, providing secure and affordable accommodation for tenants.

Respond will have a record 4,000 new social and cost rental homes under construction by the end of 2024. This milestone represents a threefold increase in its home building programme over the past year. Respond’s strategy focuses on developing mixed tenure schemes of both social and cost rental homes to build diverse and inclusive communities.  

The announcement was made as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien TD, launched Respond’s 2023 Annual Report, which details the continued positive impact Respond’s home building and community support services have in communities across Ireland.  

Commenting at the launch of the 2023 Annual Report, Respond spokesperson Niamh Randall said:“Our unique construction-led model provides a blueprint for cost-effective, consistent delivery of large-scale mixed tenure homes, incorporating both social and cost rental homes. We are building inclusive, long-term sustainable communities, with our developments placed close to amenities including schools and parks, public transport routes and commercial centres. Each development follows our evidence informed Housing Services Delivery model and includes community hubs, and often several of the additional community services we also provide, including Early Learning and School Age Care services, and services for older people, readily accessible for families.”  

Welcoming Respond’s progress, Darragh O'Brien TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, added: “I would like to commend Respond’s work in supporting families across the country, both in terms of delivering new homes and the essential community support services it provides. Through the hard work of Approved Housing Bodies like Respond, our social and cost rental housing supply is increasing and we are going in the right direction in meeting the demand for affordable housing. Under Housing for All, supply is increasing and will continue to do so through the hard work of our AHB partners such as Respond and our Local Authorities working in conjunction with my Department.”