by Alan Jacques
AN unemployed Limerick couple who have been in receipt of rent supplement fear they will now be made homeless because of having to transfer onto the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.
By the end of October 2014, there was 2,565 rent supplement recipients in Limerick. However, the Government is currently in the process of transferring responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need to local authorities under HAP, which is aimed at reforming social housing payments and is targeted at people currently on the rent supplement scheme for over 18 months.
Under the scheme, which was introduced by Limerick City and County Council last September, tenants must source private accommodation themselves, with rent to be paid directly to landlords by the council.
This week, one unemployed Limerick woman contacted the Limerick Post to say that she and her husband now fear that they will be made homeless because of the scheme.
“I am in receipt of rent allowance for the last few years as unfortunately my husband and I are unemployed and have not been able to find work,” she explained.
“I was over the summer contacted by the Council and told I would have to go on the HAP scheme instead and that it would be replacing the current rent allowance system and eventually everyone would be on this instead. I was assured that there would be no difference in my payment and that in fact in may work out a couple of euros in my favour a week.”
The woman also told the Limerick Post that she was then contacted by the Council again at the beginning of December to come in and sign the HAP forms.
“When my husband and I got there we were told we would have to pay €100 extra a week out of our social welfare payment to the council than we had paid previously in rent allowance. When I disputed this I was told that I either paid it or I would be cut off, which would basically leave us homeless,” she claimed.
“They kept saying that the reason why it was different is because you are able to take up work without losing the allowance, but if you take up any work your payment will increase, so you are worse off again. I am really afraid that I am going to be homeless in the next few weeks because of this.”
There are currently over 200 HAP tenancies in Limerick since the commencement of the scheme. Allowing the applicant to apply for all housing supports through the Council and being able to take up full-time employment without losing their HAP payment, have been cited as some of its benefits.
When contacted this week, a spokeswoman for Limerick City and County Council told the Limerick Post that it did not comment on individual cases.
