A "carrot and stick" approach will be used to get vacant properties used for housing, according to Minister Simon Coveney.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of Dublin City Council, Mr Coveney said such properties may be purchased or landlords encouraged to put them onto the market.
He said the amount of new builds nationally is a fraction of the 25,000 to 35,000 needed annually for the next ten years.
The Housing Action Plan, which is due to be announced by the end of July, will deal with the approval process for social housing, the planning system and funding models.
Mr Coveney said there will be an emphasis on keeping people in their homes.
He added that the housing emergency is unacceptable, particularly in Dublin where the four councils are spending €46 million a year for over 1,000 families in emergency accommodation.
He pointed out that there is planning permission for 27,000 homes in Dublin but only 4,400 are under construction.
Overall there is zoning with infrastructure in place for 50,000 units in Dublin.
Minister Coveney said he had attended council meetings in Cork city and county and will attend meetings of all four authorities in Dublin.
