Funding has been allocated to deliver almost 1,200 new housing units across Ireland.

Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly, and Minister for State for Housing, Planning & Construction, Paudie Coffey, allocated funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the construction of 521 new homes, at a cost of €84m and for the purchase of a further 536 housing units costing €67m.

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This brings the total number of started construction projects for social housing to over 200.

The investment, which comes to over €151m, will be given to AHBs, to assist those with specific needs such as elderly people, persons with intellectual or physical disability and homeless persons. The newly-acquired units will come on stream for people with housing need this year while the newly constructed units will be completed by 2017.

The projects all form part of this Department's Capital Assistance Scheme. The scheme requires local authorities to prioritise proposals for people with special housing needs in co-operation with an approved housing body.

The overall value of this investment in social housing via the Approved Housing Bodies is €151m, with €84m of this being for new build construction projects.

(CD/JP)