Latest news with #HousingAssistancePayment
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
‘A mother's worst nightmare': Cork mum of seven describes trauma of emergency accommodation
Single Cork mother highlights the toll of homelessness on her special needs children. Today at 02:00 'A mother's worst nightmare' is how a Cork mother of seven has described the past ten weeks of her life, as she struggles to raise her family — three of whom have special needs — while living in emergency accommodation. Victoria Miller, who has been raising her children following the breakdown of her marriage, had been renting a house on the south side of Cork city under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.
Irish Independent
28-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘Housing shouldn't just be this asset. It should be a human right' – Galway woman's HAP struggle
Sharon Nolan was forced back into the rental market after a no-fault eviction, but with reduced mobility and financial constraints, finding suitable HAP accommodation became a desperate 12-month search that left just two properties available across the entire city Today at 11:35 Sharon Nolan remembers when Galway City began shifting into a housing crisis around 2013, a time when she felt the tension between supply and demand starting to build. More than a decade later, she continues to face the worsening consequences of that crisis. After a long-term lease ended due to a 'no-fault' eviction, a termination not based on tenant wrongdoing, Ms. Nolan was forced to re-enter the housing market in search of new accommodation. However, after an illness in 2021 left her with reduced mobility and degenerative health conditions, forcing her to step down from a physically demanding job, her search became significantly more challenging. She said she had to 'completely adjust [her] frame of mind' about housing, as mobility, accessibility, and, most importantly, finances became major factors in her search. Ms. Nolan became a recipient of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) in February 2023. The HAP is a social housing support provided by the local government where local authorities pay a landlord on a tenant's behalf. The HAP tenant then pays a weekly contribution towards the amount to the landlord. Residents who are applying for HAP must find their own private accommodation within specific rent caps governed by the local authority. 'I went into it with a pretty realistic approach,' she added, 'I can't drive so it has to be somewhere that's connected to the public transport system. If there isn't a bus stop within a 5–10-minute walk, I will end up housebound the majority of the time.' I can't drive so it has to be somewhere that's connected to the public transport system The situation became increasingly dire as she realised how little housing was available. She began considering accommodation that didn't suit her needs but felt she could manage, saying, 'It doesn't matter if there are stairs, I just need a house. I will deal with it when I am housebound, and my joints are acting up – I will deal with that then'. 'Right now, disability wise, I can afford to be in a place that isn't quite right.' Another concern for Ms. Nolan, who is in her early thirties, was the prospect of living with strangers. The limited housing options left her considering rooms in already-occupied properties. 'I don't think I had ever lived with strangers at this point. I have always ended up living with someone I at least kind of knew. The home Ms. Nolan currently lives in and hopes to stay in 'as long as they will have [her]', doesn't meet all the requirements for full accessibility. Still, she says its proximity to the city centre and ease of transportation make up for the challenges, at least for now. 'You come with extra paperwork' She was referred to her current landlord through a recommendation — likely the reason her application was accepted, she says. But disclosing to landlords that 'you come with extra paperwork' as a HAP tenant can mean your application gets denied. Technically, denying a tenant because of their status is illegal. According to the HAP website, it's considered discrimination saying, '[landlords] cannot treat a tenant getting HAP support any differently'. But they are also not 'legally required to rent to a person getting HAP'. Prospective tenants who believe they have been discriminated against for their HAP status must fill out an Equal Status Form under the Workplace Relations Commission which requests the name, address, and PPSN of the landlord. Once the form is complete with the complaint in detail, it is sent to the landlord requesting a response back. Ms. Nolan feels as though it's a 'huge flaw in the system' to say the discrimination is illegal but have 'such a [reporting] process that isn't fit for purpose". 'You are basically advised to not disclose that you are a HAP tenant until you are offered somewhere because there is a bias there. 'The unofficial advice given is one should try and see if you can pay up front for the first couple months, because once you are awarded the tenancy… it's a lot harder for them to say no to you. But if you are disclosing from the get-go… that's when they can say no without the recourse.' In addition to financial constraints, properties that fall within HAP guidelines are limited to begin with. Tenants must stay within a budget set by the council, and eligible homes must meet HAP requirements, including undergoing repeat inspections. At the time Ms. Nolan was on the hunt she was given a working figure that the maximum monthly rent could not exceed €650 a month. Designated HAP properties are in critically short supply. The most recent Locked Out of the Market report from Galway Simon highlights an alarmingly low number of properties available for HAP assistance in Galway. Over a three-day observation period, 38 standard rental properties were available across Galway city and its suburbs. Of those, only one home in the city and one in the suburbs qualified as HAP properties. This marks an increase from the previous report, which was covered by the Irish Independent and showed that no properties were available throughout Galway in March 2025. The study was 'designed to reflect the lived experience of people with access to HAP support trying to find a home to rent'. The lived experience of most though, is one of exhaustion and stress. 'Those 12 months that I spent house hunting and overholding were some of the most stressful 12 months of my life and when you have underlying illnesses where stress is a trigger, that's not good.' 'We are great at building committees and oversites and reports but put that funding into building public housing. The private market isn't working.' In the meantime, while Ms. Nolan doesn't see herself owning a home in Galway anytime soon, she remains hopeful about securing a long-term lease in an accessible home of her own. 'Housing shouldn't just be this asset. It should be a human right.'
Irish Independent
28-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Galway woman faced uphill struggle to find accommodation as a disabled HAP tenant
After a long-term lease ended due to a 'no-fault' eviction, a termination not based on tenant wrongdoing, Ms. Nolan was forced to re-enter the housing market in search of new accommodation. However, after an illness in 2021 left her with reduced mobility and degenerative health conditions, forcing her to step down from a physically demanding job, her search became significantly more challenging. She said she had to 'completely adjust [her] frame of mind' about housing, as mobility, accessibility, and, most importantly, finances became major factors in her search. Ms. Nolan became a recipient of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) in February 2023. The HAP is a social housing support provided by the local government where local authorities pay a landlord on a tenant's behalf. The HAP tenant then pays a weekly contribution towards the amount to the landlord. Residents who are applying for HAP must find their own private accommodation within specific rent caps governed by the local authority. 'I went into it with a pretty realistic approach,' she added, 'I can't drive so it has to be somewhere that's connected to the public transport system. If there isn't a bus stop within a 5–10-minute walk, I will end up housebound the majority of the time.' The situation became increasingly dire as she realised how little housing was available. She began considering accommodation that didn't suit her needs but felt she could manage, saying, 'It doesn't matter if there are stairs, I just need a house. I will deal with it when I am housebound, and my joints are acting up – I will deal with that then'. 'Right now, disability wise, I can afford to be in a place that isn't quite right.' Another concern for Ms. Nolan, who is in her early thirties, was the prospect of living with strangers. The limited housing options left her considering rooms in already-occupied properties. 'I don't think I had ever lived with strangers at this point. I have always ended up living with someone I at least kind of knew. The home Ms. Nolan currently lives in and hopes to stay in 'as long as they will have [her]', doesn't meet all the requirements for full accessibility. Still, she says its proximity to the city centre and ease of transportation make up for the challenges, at least for now. She was referred to her current landlord through a recommendation — likely the reason her application was accepted, she says. But disclosing to landlords that 'you come with extra paperwork' as a HAP tenant can mean your application gets denied. Technically, denying a tenant because of their status is illegal. According to the HAP website, it's considered discrimination saying, '[landlords] cannot treat a tenant getting HAP support any differently'. But they are also not 'legally required to rent to a person getting HAP'. Prospective tenants who believe they have been discriminated against for their HAP status must fill out an Equal Status Form under the Workplace Relations Commission which requests the name, address, and PPSN of the landlord. Once the form is complete with the complaint in detail, it is sent to the landlord requesting a response back. Ms. Nolan feels as though it's a 'huge flaw in the system' to say the discrimination is illegal but have 'such a [reporting] process that isn't fit for purpose". 'You are basically advised to not disclose that you are a HAP tenant until you are offered somewhere because there is a bias there. 'The unofficial advice given is one should try and see if you can pay up front for the first couple months, because once you are awarded the tenancy… it's a lot harder for them to say no to you. But if you are disclosing from the get-go… that's when they can say no without the recourse.' In addition to financial constraints, properties that fall within HAP guidelines are limited to begin with. Tenants must stay within a budget set by the council, and eligible homes must meet HAP requirements, including undergoing repeat inspections. At the time Ms. Nolan was on the hunt she was given a working figure that the maximum monthly rent could not exceed €650 a month. Designated HAP properties are in critically short supply. The most recent Locked Out of the Market report from Galway Simon highlights an alarmingly low number of properties available for HAP assistance in Galway. Over a three-day observation period, 38 standard rental properties were available across Galway city and its suburbs. Of those, only one home in the city and one in the suburbs qualified as HAP properties. This marks an increase from the previous report, which was covered by the Irish Independent and showed that no properties were available throughout Galway in March 2025. The study was 'designed to reflect the lived experience of people with access to HAP support trying to find a home to rent'. The lived experience of most though, is one of exhaustion and stress. 'Those 12 months that I spent house hunting and overholding were some of the most stressful 12 months of my life and when you have underlying illnesses where stress is a trigger, that's not good.' 'We are great at building committees and oversites and reports but put that funding into building public housing. The private market isn't working.' In the meantime, while Ms. Nolan doesn't see herself owning a home in Galway anytime soon, she remains hopeful about securing a long-term lease in an accessible home of her own. 'Housing shouldn't just be this asset. It should be a human right.'
RTÉ News
18-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Number of properties available under HAP scheme fell last month
The number of properties that were available to rent within the discretionary rate of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme last month fell to 32. It is a decrease of nine properties (-22%) since March, according to the latest Simon Communities quarterly Locked Out of the Market report. Over three dates last month, 16 areas were surveyed which showed that 978 properties were available to rent at any price. That is a 17% fall from 1,178 properties that were available in June 2024. Last month, there were no properties available in eight out of 16 areas. These included Athlone, Cork city centre, Cork city suburbs, Co Leitrim, Limerick city centre, Sligo town, Portlaoise, and Waterford city centre. Four of the 16 areas saw a reduction in the number of HAP properties available compared to March. The four areas in question were Dublin city north (seven properties), Dublin city centre (two properties), Dundalk (one property), and Kildare (one property). Sligo Town and Portlaoise had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with just seven and two properties available in each area, respectively. As seen in previous Locked Out of the Market reports, the supply of properties within HAP limits were predominantly in Dublin. Last month, 22 of the total 32 HAP properties were in the capital. Just five of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within HAP limits. These included Dundalk (three properties), Galway city suburbs (one property), Galway city centre (one property), Kildare (four properties), and Limerick city suburbs (one property). The report considers the availability of properties within both the standard and discretionary HAP limits in 16 areas for household categories including single people, couples, couple/one parent families with one child and couples or one parent families with two children. There was a lack of availability across all household categories within standard or discretionary HAP limits. Discretionary HAP limits includes 'homeless HAP', which is the increased rate of HAP for people experiencing homelessness. In Dublin, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate; this is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country. Last month, there were no properties available to couples or one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate. There were 10 properties available through discretionary HAP rates. One property was available in a suburb of Limerick city to couples or one-parent households with two children through a standard HAP rate last month. There were five properties available for people in this category through discretionary HAP rates, and an additional 10 that overlapped with properties available to families with one child. Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, Ber Grogan, said the over representation of one-parent families in the thousands of families and children experiencing homelessness was particularly concerning. She said the latest findings must act as "a wake-up call" for policymakers. The report features Cork Simon service user Nathan who said he was "fed up" with trying to secure a rental property. "Most of the time you ring a place, it's gone. You get fed up of every day doing it and then you just give up for a while; depressed out of me head. You can't get out of it [homelessness]. "I don't seem to see a way anyway. And it's not for want of trying. A bed, a bathroom and a kitchen. Basics. Oh, I'd love it. Come and go as you please," he said.
Extra.ie
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
HAP scheme is 'driving new entries into homelessness'
A senior Housing Commission official has called for the Government to double the social housing supply and quit relying on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Michelle Norris said 20% of households should be accommodated in social or cost-rental housing. 'That would be a doubling of supply and would provide more than enough social housing to accommodate all the people currently on HAP,' she said yesterday at a Focus Ireland conference with a focus on reforming HAP. A senior Housing Commission official has called for the Government to double the social housing supply and quit relying on the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Pic: Getty Images There are 70,000 households reliant on HAP. Ms Norris said the assistance scheme should 'be used primarily to provide short-to medium-term support for households that don't have a long-term housing need'. Conor Roe of homelessness charity Focus Ireland told of a man on disability allowances who was seeking higher HAP payments to help with arrears. The man contacted Focus Ireland after being told that he would have to be homeless for his HAP to be increased. There are approximately 70,000 households that rely on HAP. Pic: Shutterstock Mr Roe described the man as yet another person who 'is going to have to become homeless to get themselves to higher rates, to then get themselves out of homelessness'. He said the scheme is 'driving new entries into homelessness'.
