Circle Voluntary Housing Association welcomes the publication of the AHB Strategic Forum Report and the continued national ambition set out under Ireland’s evolving housing strategy, including the forthcoming successor to Housing for All. As one of Ireland’s leading Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), we recognise the scale of the national housing challenge and the central role our sector must play in delivering sustainable, affordable homes at pace.
The Forum’s report outlines a clear and forward-looking roadmap for strengthening and modernising the AHB sector. It highlights the need for long-term stability, coordinated cross-government leadership, multi-annual funding, and a framework that reflects the scale, capability and professionalism of AHBs today. Circle fully supports these recommendations and will actively engage in the broader change delivery programme that will oversee their implementation.
Our commitments at Circle VHA include:
- Scaling delivery across social and cost-rental housing, with a strengthened development pipeline and deeper partnerships with local authorities and sectoral stakeholders.
- Supporting those in housing need, including people experiencing homelessness, older people, and those with additional support needs, through high-quality, sustainable homes and wraparound supports.
- Strengthening organisational capacity, ensuring governance, financial resilience and compliance structures remain robust as we grow.
- Building sustainable communities, prioritising energy efficiency, high-quality design, and long-term asset management.
- Championing sector stability, advocating for predictable funding frameworks and a policy environment that enables AHBs to plan, invest and deliver long-term.
CEO John Hannigan added:
“Ireland’s updated national housing strategy provides a renewed vision, and the AHB Strategic Forum Report sets out the foundations needed to make that vision deliverable. What we have now is certainty, certainty of funding, of process, and of long-term commitment. AHBs have proven their ability to deliver homes that change lives, what we need is the framework that allows us to do even more. At Circle, we are ready to scale up and work collaboratively to ensure that every home we deliver strengthens a community and supports a future of affordable housing.”
As we progress, Circle will continue to work closely with Government, local authorities, the AHB sector and our tenant communities to ensure national housing objectives are met with ambition, integrity and long-term impact.
