New figures have revealed a fall in the number of people in Clare in receipt of rent supplements.
However, there’s been an increase in the amount of tenants on the Rental Accommodation Scheme, for those with long-term housing needs.
Figures released by the Social Protection Minister have revealed that between the end of March and the end of September, the number of tenants in Clare in receipt of rental supplements fell from 98 to 63.
This 55% decrease is well ahead of the national rate of decline in that period of 16%, while the average monthly payout here is €308.
The supplement is a means-tested payment for certain people living in private rented accommodation who cannot cover the costs alone.
It is still in operation for certain people but those who are on social housing lists are now encouraged to apply for the Housing Assistance Payment instead.
However, while this appears to suggest that less families are struggling, figures released separately by the Housing Minister show that there’s been a rise in the number of people in Clare on the Rental Accommodation Scheme.
This scheme is aimed at people in receipt of the rent supplement for 18 months or more, who are deemed to have long-term housing needs.
The number of Clare tenants on this list has risen from 373 at the end of March to 394 by September; a 5.6% increase.
Statement From Department Of Housing
Minister Doherty was referring to Rent Supplement in the answer referenced.
Rent Supplement is a means-tested payment for certain people living in private rented accommodation who cannot provide for the cost of their accommodation from their own resources.
In the past, Rent Supplement was available to people who qualified for social housing support and were on the local authority’s housing list. This has been replaced by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) which is a social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. It is available in all Local Authorities since March 2017 (since June 2015 in Co Clare).
HAP aims to offer all social housing supports to be accessed through the local authorities and to enable people to take up full-time employment and keep their housing support.
It is expected that the vast majority of people who have long term housing needs and are receiving Rent Supplement support will have transferred to HAP by the end of December 2020. Rent Supplement will continue to provide temporary income support to those who require assistance with their rental commitments.
HAP was introduced in Co Clare in June 2015 – Rent Supplement recipients at that date were approximately 1,300. At the end of September 2019 there were 63 recipients of Rent Supplement in Co Clare, compared to 1,400 recipients of HAP for the same period.
