70 NEW jobs are on the cards for Limerick as the Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) Department of Limerick City and County Council expands its workforce.
Limerick was the pilot city for HAP and, since its inception in 2014, the budget has increased by 244 per cent.
The increased workforce is to facilitate the roll-out of the scheme to the rest of the country from next April.
Based in the Granary building in the city centre, HAP helps people with long-term housing needs by paying landlords directly with tenants paying their part of the rent to the local authority, based on their income.
The scheme currently employs 30 people and has 19 local authority clients, including Limerick City and County Council. From next April, it will add Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Dunlaoighre-Rathdown County Council to its list.
The draft HAP budget for next year stands at €213 million with around €50 million ring fenced for payment to landlords.
