Building welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant communities

Clúid is an award-winning, not-for-profit housing body, providing a safe and secure home to 35,000 families and individuals in over 14,000 high-quality social, age-friendly and affordable homes across Ireland. In November 2025, Averil Power became its new Chief Executive Officer.

“My connection to this work is personal,” Power tells eolas Magazine. “I grew up in social housing in a great community, with a secure home that my parents could never have afforded privately. It breaks my heart that so many families just like ours are denied that opportunity today.

“Clúid is working to change this through its advocacy and by directly delivering record numbers of social, affordable and age-friendly homes. I am incredibly proud to join such a strong, values-led organisation and to work with Clúid’s talented team to ensure more people have a great place to live.”

Leadership and advocacy experience

Power brings extensive leadership and advocacy experience to the role, having previously served as CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, CEO of the Asthma Society, an elected member of Seanad Éireann and a policy adviser in three Government departments. She holds degrees in business and law from Trinity College Dublin and the King’s Inns, and a diploma in ESG from the Corporate Governance Institute.

During her tenure at the Irish Cancer Society, the organisation delivered record growth in the number of people benefiting from its services and research. It achieved the highest public trust level of any charity in Ireland, according to the Irish Charity Engagement Monitor, and was named Ireland’s Charity of the Year at the Charity Excellence Awards 2025. Power also used her political and policy experience to help deliver significant changes in Government investment and policy, with lasting impact for people affected by cancer.

Commitment to equality and social justice

At the heart of Power’s work is a deep personal commitment to equality and social justice. As a Senator, she was a key figure in the 2015 referendum campaign for marriage equality and spearheaded legislative change to give adoptees a right to their birth identities. As the first person in her family to finish school, she also championed initiatives to tackle educational disadvantage.

Her move to the housing sector reflects a desire to make a difference to one of Ireland’s most pressing social challenges.

“As a public representative and CEO of two health charities, I have seen first-hand the toll the housing crisis has taken on people’s mental and physical health. Working with Clúid gives me the opportunity to help those who are struggling in the private housing market and need a better, more secure alternative.”

Clúid’s track record

Established in 1994 and led by the recently retired CEO Brian O’Gorman for the last 25 years, Clúid has a strong track record in delivering high-quality social housing to people in housing need on local authority waiting lists. Since 2021, it has also been delivering homes under the Government’s Cost Rental Scheme, with rents at least 25 per cent below market rates.

Clúid’s housing delivery has increased significantly in recent years, with 1,391 new build homes delivered in 2025 alone. This growth has been enabled by close collaboration with its funders and partners, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Finance Agency, the Housing Agency, local authorities, developers and community groups nationwide.

Positioned to deliver

“We have a number of exciting developments on site at present,” Power says, “including Ireland’s tallest residential building at the Railyard in Cork and an 850-unit development at Oscar Traynor Woods in North Dublin. With a skilled team of 400 professionals across construction, legal, finance, housing and community services, and decades of delivery experience, we are well positioned to do much more in the years ahead.”

Power’s appointment coincided with the publication of the Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, and the report of the AHB Strategic Forum. Both highlight the increasingly important role approved housing bodies such as Clúid now play, delivering approximately 50 per cent of all new social and affordable homes in Ireland.

“Record Government investment in housing, a fixed loan rate of 3.75 per cent from the Housing Finance Agency, and the introduction of an equity element to cost rental funding have enabled Clúid’s recent growth,” Power notes. “Recent retrofit funding improvements will also help us make existing homes more energy-efficient and comfortable for residents.

“However, as highlighted in the Strategic Forum report, further reforms are needed if the sector is to reach its full potential. Historic underfunding of some schemes and inadequate funding for community infrastructure remain key challenges.”

Resident and community experience

While delivery at scale is critical, Clúid places equal emphasis on the quality of the resident and community experience, reflected in a sector-leading resident satisfaction rate of 85 per cent.

Homes are managed through locally based housing officers, supported by a national housing advice centre. Most day-to-day repairs are carried out by Clúid Works, the organisation’s in-house maintenance service, enabling faster response times and greater accountability.

Beyond housing provision, Clúid invests in tenancy sustainment and community development to help residents build stable, connected lives. This includes tailored supports for older residents in its Clann homes, alongside initiatives that promote social connection, wellbeing and inclusion.

“Secure housing is about much more than a roof over your head,” Power says. “It is about dignity, stability and belonging.”

Looking ahead

As Clúid enters its fourth decade, Power sees an opportunity to deepen its impact not just by delivering more homes, but by helping to shape a housing system that is fairer, more sustainable and more people-centred.

“Housing is the foundation of a thriving society,” Power says. “Clúid has shown what is possible when supportive public policy, long-term investment and a mission-driven organisation come together. My focus is on building on that success to help realise Clúid’s vision of an Ireland where everyone has a great place to live.”

With the housing landscape facing unprecedented pressures, Clúid’s combination of scale, experience and values positions it and its new CEO as a leading contributor to Ireland’s response.

For more information:
W: www.cluid.ie