The Housing Agency’s board has expressed full support for their CEO, Bob Jordan, amid criticisms regarding the sale of his investment property to the Peter McVerry Trust during his tenure at Dublin City Council. The agency’s board solidified their position, stating after review, no further action is needed regarding the transaction.
The chairman of the board, Michael Carey, expressed complete confidence in Mr. Jordan’s actions when the sale was made, underlining that he acted with pure intentions. Mr Jordan saw the transaction as the optimum solution to providing secure housing for a vulnerable individual facing the risk of homelessness.
The transaction took place at the market rate, despite resulting in a personal financial loss, and was fully within the awareness and approval of Dublin City Council, his employer at the time. The sale was successful in attaining the desired outcome for the occupant.
At the time of the sale, in 2020, Mr. Jordan was employed as a senior manager at the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) by the Dublin City Council. The DRHE was noted as having provided the McVerry Trust, the largest receiver of their funding, with over €16 million in 2020. Consequently, Jillian van Turnhout, a corporate governance expert, cited the transaction as potentially raising conflict of interest issues.
Mr Carey, however, reaffirmed Jordan’s reputation as a respected public servant of high integrity and commitment in his role as CEO. The Housing Agency regrets his exit and is currently seeking a successor of equal dedication and repute. Mr. Jordan sold his four-bedroom house in Kildare town to the Peter McVerry Trust for the going rate of €250,000 in December 2020, as stated in his personal declaration provided last Thursday.
In 2019, I collaborated with the Kildare County Council to allocate my property to a family eligible for the Homeless Hap scheme. The family took residence in September 2019 and their tenancy was officially lodged with the Residential Tenancies Board.
However, in November 2019, I was informed by Kildare County Council that the tenant and his family were not actually eligible for the Homeless HAP. This led the council to terminate the rent payment after making the initial two-month payment.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, I tried my utmost to work hand in hand with Kildare County Council to correct this issue and provide essential assistance to the vulnerable family. Unhappily, throughout 2020, it was not possible for me to collect any rent.
During that year, I sought help from the Peter McVerry Trust, hoping that they could provide professional support to my tenant. After a while, the trust suggested purchasing the property, to enable them to offer enduring support to the tenant, which led me to sell them the property albeit at a substantial personal financial loss.
It’s crucial to note that the Local Government Act 2001’s code of conduct wasn’t designed to pertain to this situation, as my role was the national director of Housing First based in Dublin City Council, and my property was outside of Dublin City Council’s jurisdiction. That said, in line with code’s regulations, Dublin City Council management was notified in advance of my property’s sale.