Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2009
285 Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if consideration will be given to persons whose homes have been repossessed in terms of their qualification for rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46624/09]
View answerThe purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The Supplementary Budget introduced in April 2009 provided for new arrangements for applications for rent supplement. In order to qualify for rent supplement, a person must have been residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where the person is deemed by a housing authority to be eligible for and in need of social housing support.
The aim of this restriction on entitlement to rent supplement is to ensure that the housing authorities remain the principal agents both for assessing housing needs and for meeting the long-term housing needs of qualifying persons. People whose homes are being repossessed should therefore apply to their local housing authority for a housing needs assessment in the first instance in order that their eligibility for social housing or rent supplement can be assessed.
