Plans are in place for 1,000 factory-built apartment units to be used for social housing in Dublin and other urban areas, according to the Government.
The Department of Housing has confirmed that the first of the "volumetric apartments" are planned for early next year.
It follows the construction of 130 rapid build houses in Dublin.
The "volumetric" developments, which have been planned for some time, involve 700 builds in Dublin and 300 in other areas including Co Louth.
Dublin City Council will set up a framework by November with a pre-approved list of contractors that can be used by other local authorities.
Fast-track planning will be used to get the units onstream.
The first two sites are in Coolock, where there will be a development of around 60 units, and the Christchurch area, where there will a small development of six units.
The Department of Housing has also announced that 1,000 empty properties being held by banks and other financial institutions are being targeted for acquisition.
The measures were announced following the third housing summit held by Minister Eoghan Murphy and attended by representatives of the country's 31 local authorities.
Minister Murphy announced 70 new emergency beds will be available this September and two temporary family hubs will be provided in Galway and Limerick.
He also said that "choice based letting" would be offered to homeless families to encourage uptake of housing assistance payment (HAP) rental accommodation.
A recent report found that families were staying on in emergency accommodation to obtain permanent social housing.
Mr Murphy said the housing list would be examined to ensure that families did not lose priority by taking up HAP accommodation.
He said the controversial reclassification of homeless statistics was not discussed today and that a study was underway into the compilation of the figures.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said today’s announcements were more "spin over substance" from Minister Murphy.
Deputy Ó Broin said: "Another summit has led to another series of re-announcements from the Minister for Housing.
"Nothing announced today addresses the urgency or the scale of the housing crisis this State is facing.
"There was nothing aimed at stemming the flow of families into homeless and keeping them in their homes. A HAP promotion scheme is hardly ambitious or ground breaking. Families receiving notices to quit are the biggest driver of family homelessness, failing to tackle this will lead to more and more families accessing homeless services.
He said Minister Murphy continues to make vague announcements about affordable housing.
"The Minister told us nothing new today. He is continuing with the same failed policies as before. This government either genuinely doesn't understand the impact of this crisis on its citizens or it simply doesn't care."
