Spotlight - Meet our Ireland members: Margaret Geraghty

First things first, please introduce yourself to our audience

My career in the local authority sector has been varied across multiple areas of service delivery, including human resources, housing delivery, housing regeneration, community, area and operational management. Having worked for Dublin City Council for many years with housing roles in Ballymun and Finglas as part of area regeneration programmes, setting up the structures to deliver affordable housing and experience in project delivery, I moved to Fingal County Council in 2015 as director of housing and community services.  Currently with my colleagues in the housing delivery coordination office, we work with relevant stakeholders and assist local authorities in the delivery of housing.

What do you love most about your career in housing? 

Every day is different with new challenges and it is never boring! I believe a home is at the cornerstone of supporting people to live their lives to the fullest and I enjoy being part of that. 

What has been your biggest professional achievement? 

That is a difficult question!  I don’t have any big stand out moments but rather look on my career as a continuum of challenges and successes and sometimes failures!  Sometimes it is the smallest thing that you can do in the housing context that can make the biggest difference to someone – those times are the ones I reflect on as successes. 

What are your future goals and aspirations for your career? 

After 38 years in the public service, I now think about what my goals and aspirations are beyond my formal career.  I am very interested in the European housing policy context and how the knowledge and experience that we and our European colleagues have can be shared to face the challenges meeting housing needs and to shape the narrative and shift the dial towards affordable and quality housing for our citizens. Housing skills and experience has never been more necessary in the context of the huge challenges arising from homelessness, affordability, displacement of people from war torn areas and people seeking refuge.  Maybe I can offer something in that space.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a career in housing? 

Gain as much experience possible in different settings and don’t lose sight of the objective. Being part of providing and maintaining a home is hugely important, policies are about people so doing what you can to translate policy into real and tangible results is a privilege.