The Government recently agreed proposals to increase the baseline social housing income eligibility thresholds for all local authorities by €5,000. The changes come into effect from 1 January 2023.
An analysis by my Department suggests some 16,000 additional households may be eligible for social housing support, including HAP, as a result of the changes. Previous analysis by the Housing Agency suggested around 25% of qualified households may apply for HAP. On this basis, and all things equal, up to 4,000 households could be expected to apply for HAP at a full year cost of circa €38 million.
The Review of Income Eligibility for Social Housing Support, carried out by the Housing Agency in 2021, estimated some 200 or so additional households would apply for HAP on foot of a €5,000 increase to the income thresholds for Carlow, Clare, Galway, Laois and Westmeath County Councils. The Housing Agency analysis in this regard is available on my Department's website at gov.ie - Review of Income Eligibility for Social Housing Support (www.gov.ie) My Department estimates the full year HAP cost for these additional households would be around €1m.
An analysis of the longer-term impact of increasing thresholds will be carried out in the context of the broader examination of the social housing income eligibility model recently commenced by my Department.
Recent analysis carried out by my Department was limited to the impact - in terms of eligible households and resulting HAP costs - of the uplift in the income thresholds by €5,000 across all local authorities. It did not examine the impact of other stepped changes.
Changes to the income eligibility model, beyond those to the income thresholds, have not been considered by my Department. Accordingly, the data requested by the Deputy regarding changes to the treatment of income family supplement or the income of adult family members are not available.