Housing innovation in Ireland: Eimear O’Hagan, HAIL Housing 

We speak with Eimear O’Hagan, head of housing and property management at HAIL Housing, about her career journey and how HAIL’s structured trainee housing officer programme is helping to future-proof specialist housing management. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your housing career to date? 

I began my career in the private sector, working across the North in mortgages, valuations, off-plan sales and rental unit management. After completing my BSc in housing management at the University of Ulster, I undertook a placement year with Clúid Housing in the West of Ireland. That experience was pivotal — it was where I realised that social housing was where I wanted to build my career. 

Following my degree, I returned to the West to work in general needs housing. As the recession took hold, I moved to Dublin and specialised in sheltered housing for older people, managing a medium-support scheme in Dalkey for the Sue Ryder Foundation. This role was incredibly formative, as it involved managing not just housing but a full suite of services — daily meals, laundry, cleaning and supports — all of which needed to operate seamlessly. 

After several years, I returned to general needs housing with North and East Housing Association, a strong AHB focussed on the east coast. From there, I joined Saint John of God Housing Association as its very first employee. This was a unique opportunity to help establish an organisation focussed on de-congregated housing for people with intellectual disabilities, mental health difficulties and older persons. The role brought together everything I had learned to date and involved separating the housing function from a wider group structure — an invaluable experience. 

My current role as head of housing a property management with HAIL builds on all of that. HAIL is a growing AHB specialising in enduring mental health, with just under 500 units at the end of 2025 and ambitious plans for further growth. 

HAIL Housing provides specialist tenancy sustainment for people with mental health challenges. How does the trainee programme balance core housing management skills with HAIL’s specialist support model? 

The programme is designed to ensure trainees are fully competent in standard housing management while also developing a deep understanding of mental health–led tenancy sustainment. It does this through a combination of academic learning, structured on-the-job experience and mentoring. 

From an academic perspective, trainees undertake an approved course of study. During the first month, we jointly assess what the trainee needs from the course and what HAIL needs from the role, ensuring a mutually beneficial outcome. Where relevant, the programme may also support professional licensing, such as PSRA accreditation, and CIH membership, depending on the chosen course. 

On the practical side, trainees assist with managing a live housing portfolio — covering lettings, rent collection, maintenance and tenant engagement — while reporting to a senior housing officer. They work directly with tenants, including those with complex needs, and learn how housing professionals collaborate with support colleagues to sustain tenancies. 

Crucially, trainees are given responsibility for a designated area. This begins with a manageable patch which expands as the trainee develops confidence and competence. 

What mentoring and professional development supports are built into the programme? 

Each trainee is paired with a dedicated mentor, typically a senior housing officer, and participates in monthly mentoring sessions. Beyond that, they become part of the wider housing and property team, gaining exposure to a range of professional skillsets across the organisation. 

Structured in-house training days are embedded into the working week, covering both soft skills — such as report writing and presentation — and technical housing knowledge. Trainees also take part in peer-led learning through learning lunches, roundtables and team away days, giving them insight into other areas of the organisation and the wider sector.

Beyond retention, how does HAIL measure the success of the trainee programme? 

Trainee housing officers are assessed against the same KPIs as qualified housing officers, aligned with HAIL’s organisational performance framework. Recently, HAIL completed a pilot benchmarking exercise with the ICSH and Accuity, and the resulting benchmarking matrices have now been incorporated into our KPI reporting framework, which has been approved by the board. 

These KPIs are applied at team and individual level to ensure targets are met, and trainees are fully included in this process. This allows us to track performance in areas such as tenancy management, compliance and service delivery while maintaining a strong focus on tenancy sustainment. 

How does HAIL ensure that academic theory is applied directly to real-world housing practice? 

We were very deliberate about timing. The current trainee housing officer began academic study in month four of the programme, allowing time to first understand HAIL’s operational framework — particularly the integration of housing and support. 

The trainee follows a strict month-by-month programme that directly links academic modules to their day-to-day role. This includes presenting learning outcomes to the extended management team, leadership team and at HAIL’s all-staff meetings. 

Coursework and essays are based on practical experiences from the trainee’s own housing patch, ensuring that theory is continuously tested and applied in real-world scenarios.

Are trainees encouraged to engage in sector-wide networks such as CIH Ireland Futures? 

Absolutely. Our trainee housing officer is already a member of the CIH Ireland Futures board and is actively planning to attend events and present to colleges to promote housing as a career choice. 

This type of networking is vital. It supports career progression, broadens understanding of the sector, and highlights that HAIL is one of many AHBs doing excellent work in different ways. Exposure to other organisations and projects strengthens professional insight and ultimately benefits the sector as a whole. 

Finally, what advice would HAIL give to other AHBs or local authorities considering a similar trainee programme? 

There are three key points we would emphasise: 

• The benefits far outweigh the resources invested 
• The organisation grows stronger and more supportive as a result of introducing a trainee role
• A structured trainee programme helps organisations deliberately shape skills and career pathways that meet their specific needs — something that is increasingly vital in today’s housing environment.