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AN ‘AFFORDABILITY CRISIS’ will continue to drive people into homelessness after the pandemic without stronger supports from the State, homeless charity the Simon Communities of Ireland has warned.
The charity’s quarterly ‘Locked Out’ report has highlighted the continued shortage of homes across the country for Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) recipients, despite an improvement overall in homeless figures.
The report assessed available properties over a three-day period (14-16 December 2020) and found there were 3,019 properties available to rent at any price within 16 areas of study.
Just four properties were available within standard HAP limits for a single person and a further 95 properties were found within discretionary limits for single people – local authorities can use their discretion to issue a higher payment to source suitable accommodation for homeless households.
Six of the 16 study areas did not have a single property available within either standard or discretionary HAP limits in any of the four family categories (singles, couples, families with one child, families with two children). The vast majority (95%) of properties available within HAP limits were in Dublin.
Wayne Stanley, head of policy and communications at the Simon Communities of Ireland said Ireland still has an affordability crisis across the housing system and this is what will drive people into homelessness.
“What this report shows is that the single person doesn’t fare well, but the availability of accommodation has increased in the Dublin region.
Over the last year we have seen a significant fall in the number of people in homeless emergency accommodation since 2019. Homeless numbers have gone down almost 20%.
That’s due to a number of factors; the number of people coming into homelessness has fallen, the moratorium the government brought in on people being evicted during the last year and the prevention of rent increases.
“However, we do know official numbers don’t show the full extent of the homeless crisis, as the measures taken mask the structural issues that lead to increases in homelessness.”
There were 1,160 properties available under a standard or discretionary limit in at least one of the four household categories, representing 38% of the total properties available.
This represents a significant 57% increase on the 738 properties which were available within at least one HAP category in the charity’s September study.
“We are concerned that when the restrictions are eventually lifted, we’ll go back to where we were or worse as we haven’t seen the full effect of fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Stanley said.
We need greater discretion on HAP payments for local authorities outside Dublin. Allocation of local authority housing across Ireland to get people out of homelessness combined with a programme of building that’s going to provide the needed level of social and affordable housing.
“We also need a better understanding of hidden homelessness and outreach services into communities to stop homelessness before it starts.”
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Its a housing stock issue. In Barcelona, their council are literally seizing apartments that have been vacant for more than 3 months. The owners are given half the market value or offered a 90k-900k fine.. It will drastically cut out all this investment/AirBnB trollop. i.e. by corporations with large residential property portfolios. Fair play to them!
@Bernard McWilliams: NOBODY should be profiting from owning a 2nd or 3rd house, why do you think so many politicians are landlords?
It’s a landlords paradise
@Darren Byrne: Only for those with no morals, not paying or avoiding tax and no morgage. i.e not the one off accidental landlord.
@Darren Byrne: we are driving the accidental landlords out and the huge corporate vultures in. They are the only ones profiting from this mess, not the landlord with 1 or 2 houses.
@Darren Byrne: I wish it was. ha went turned a profit on my house in 6 years. because of cost of renovations and repairs. in the immortal words of p Flynn you should try it sometime.
@ed w: The profit is an asset at the end. Even if tenants only pay for half the mortgage. That’s still a big profit.
@ed w: speak for yourself. paper thin walls with mold infestation all day every day. 5€ cilit bang favorite landlord “repair”
Renovation is a big fancy word but reality hits you when your landlord sends a handyman with adidas bag full of silicone and daffer tape.
Being labdlord in dub is like licence to print money and that’s a fact.
Cost of Build is the root cause not Supply which is only a symptom.
News Flash! EU Parliament voted on 21/01/2021:-
- Housing costs should be kept affordable by law !!!!
- Access to adequate housing should be a fundamental European right.
- Call for an EU-wide goal to end homelessness by 2030
- Access to affordable housing as an enforceable human right (like food or water).
EU to the rescue again … Irish political system is inept or controlled by external forces.
37% of Cost of Build of new homes is artificial due to levies and tax. No need.
VAT €28,000
LA Levy €15,000
Social Housing contribution €5000
Conveyancing €6000 .. you can do your own in other countries.
….
So many people in Dublin paying 2k a month rent but can’t get a €1200 a month Mortgage
Surprising? Dealing with HAP is a total bureaucratic pain ( HAP admin is yet another self important QUANGO). Payments get cut off to property owner without notice or clear reason. Impossible to deal with. This is well known to agents. Never again
Homeless figures down over 2,000 in the last 15 months (per Focus Ireland stats). This is great news for the 2,000 families involved.
My personal experience in trying to rent anywhere within Co. Cork. If you bring up HAP it is impossible to get the place you want to rent.
have your say