The Government announced in early July 2004 a new initiative whereby local authorities will meet the long-term housing needs of social welfare rent supplementation recipients. The new arrangements will involve local authorities progressively assuming responsibility over a four-year period for accommodating rent supplement recipients who have been assessed as having long-term housing need, excluding asylum seekers, or other non-nationals who do not have leave to remain in the State permanently, and persons in receipt of rent supplement as a back to work incentive or of mortgage supplementation. The new arrangements are being implemented to cater for an estimated 19,000 existing rent supplement recipients with a long-term housing need.
The Government decided that the new arrangements would be rolled out through groups of local authorities in a number of phases and has set a target of September 2008 to complete the implementation of the new arrangements in all local authorities. The new rental accommodation initiative is a collaborative project between the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, local authorities, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the community welfare service.
The rollout of the new arrangements is commencing in an initial group of lead authorities: Dublin, Galway and Limerick cities, South Dublin, Donegal, Offaly, Westmeath county councils and Drogheda Borough Council. It is proposed to commence rollout arrangements in the remaining local authorities during 2005.
The main actions since July to end of October 2004 have been to consult with interested parties, advise local authorities of the requirements of the Government decision, put in place the structures necessary to commence the project, identify and resolve where possible any issues impacting on and to engage resources needed to support the implementation of the scheme. Work has already commenced in the lead authorities towards identifying persons on rent supplement in need of long-term housing support. The next step will see the commencement of the transfer of rent supplement recipients to the lead authorities from January 2005.
