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Housing Assistance Payment Eligibility

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018

Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Questions (1282)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

1282. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to extend the homeless HAP scheme to additional local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24412/18]

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Written answers

The Homeless HAP Place Finder Service is a targeted support for homeless households who are finding it difficult to secure HAP tenancies. The function of the Service is to work with homeless households to identify potential rental properities and support them to secure the tenancies. The Place Finder Service has been successfully utilised by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) across the Dublin local authorities since February 2015, with more than 3,000 households currently being supported by the Homeless HAP scheme. A similar service began operating in Cork City in 2017.

In order to further assist homeless households to exit emergency accommodation, since January 2018, the Homeless HAP Place Finder Service can now be made available in each of the 31 local authority areas. I have provided sanction to local authorities to recruit the necessary personnel required to operate an apporpriate Place Finder Service in their areas. To date 14 local authorities have expressed an interest in making this support available to homeless households. I also provided local authorities with the capacity to pay deposits and advance rental payments on behalf of households in emergency homeless accommodation or who are at immediate risk of entering emergency accommodation in order to secure accommodation via the HAP scheme. To qualify for these specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988. The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority.

Aside from the specific Place Finder supports available to homeless households who could benefit from HAP, every local authority has discretion to exercise flexibility and agree to a HAP payment, up to 20% (up to 50% in the Dublin local authority areas only) above the maximum rent limit for that household type where it is necessary, because of local rental market conditions.

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