Thomas Gould
Question:241. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if persons in residential addiction treatment are considered housed in terms of open social housing applications. [27518/21]
View answerTuesday, 25 May 2021
Questions (241)
Written answers
Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
Where a household is deemed to meet the eligibility criteria, only then is its housing need assessed under the criteria in Regulation 23 of the 2011 Regulations, having regard to its current accommodation.
If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, as defined in Section 19 of the 2009 Act, and is placed on the housing list to be considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme.
Decisions on the qualification of specific persons for social housing support and the allocation of that support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned. Each application must be considered on its own merits and the individual circumstances taken into account.
Generally, in the context of an open social housing application, a person in residential addiction treatment, which is considered transitional accommodation, would not be considered to be housed.