Almost eight out of ten properties were beyond the reach of people in receipt of housing benefits in March.
That’s according to the Simon Community, who found that just 600 properties were available to rent in the 11 locations they surveyed.
But just 12 percent of those fell within the rent supplement or HAP limits.
In their seventh Locked Out report they found that of the 600 rentals just 72 properties were affordable to those receiving housing assistance in 11 areas including Athlone, Cork, Leitrim and Dublin.
The Simon Community’s Niamh Randall says that the Housing Assistance Payment – or HAP and rent supplement must be brought in line with market rents.
Richard Boyd Barrett is a People Before Profit TD for Dun Laoghaire, where the HAP limit for a family is set at 1250 euro a month, he says that’s far too little.
And he says that gap is forcing people into homelessness.
