Pressure To Close Sales And Upgrade Costs Stalling Home Acquisitions For Families Facing Homelessness In Kildare

Thursday, 21 August 2025 15:46

By Martin Osborne

The Second-hand Acquisition Programme is a Government scheme where councils buy existing homes to stop homelessness and house people in need quickly.

Kildare County Council says it has so far been unable to commit to any further home purchases under the Second-hand Acquisition Programme in 2025, despite a €15 million allocation from Government.

The Second-hand Acquisition Programme is a Government scheme where councils buy existing homes to stop homelessness and house people in need quickly.

All of this year’s funding was already committed to purchases carried over from last year.

The Government has since secured an additional €50 million nationally for the Second-hand Acquisition Programme.

The priority for funding will be afforded to councils who are active in supporting Housing First tenancies, homeless preventions and exits from homelessness.

Kildare County Council says following correspondence with the Department of Housing, it is now reviewing its commitments and could add acquisitions before the end of the year, while also developing a pipeline for 2026.

But the council has warned of two major challenges: short timeframes for closing purchases, and the fact that upgrade costs are not covered by Government funding - a pressure likely to fall on the 2026 budget.

A longer-term roadmap for acquisitions is being developed under the National Development Plan to 2030.

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