Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 7 September 2018
1416. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the annual expenditure on the homeless housing assistance payment since its inception to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36875/18]
View answerHomeless HAP is a targeted support for homeless households who may find it difficult to secure HAP tenancies. The scheme has been successfully utilised by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) across the four Dublin local authorities since February 2015, with more than 2,000 households currently being supported by the Homeless HAP scheme.
Homeless HAP assists households by providing the local authorities with the following options:
- the option to provide a deposit to secure property;
- the option to pay up to two months advance rent; and
- in the case of the Dublin local authorities only, an increase in the discretion ceiling from 20% to 50% to exceed the maximum rent limits, where necessary, allowing households to find suitable accommodation.
Aggregate recoupment of costs to the DRHE for rent in advance, deposits and HAP administrative payments, in respect of Homeless HAP and payments to landlords, in respect of homeless HAP households are as follows:
Landlord Payments 2015-2018 in respect of Homeless HAP (euro millions rounded)
|
LA |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 to date |
|
DRHE (Dublin City Council) |
€0.25 |
€4.49 |
€33.61 |
€28.74 |
In addition to the financial options set out above, another significant dimension to Homeless HAP was the establishment of the Placefinder Service, whereby local authorities can appoint dedicated staff to assist individuals in emergency accommodation to find appropriate exit options. The service has been in operation in the Dublin region since 2015 and the option to establish same was also made available to all local authorities from January 2018.
