The number of householders in Clare claiming the Housing Assistance Payment has increased by more than sixfold in four years.
New CSO figures show 1,540 households in Clare received the government assistance in 2019.
The number of households now receiving HAP assistance is at its highest level since the scheme began.
230 households claimed HAP in Clare as of 2015 – that number now exceeds 1,500.
The majority of HAP properties are located in the Ennis and Kilrush electoral areas, with all five areas in this county having seen their Housing Assistance Payment property count at least double since 2016.
8 people were referred from homeless services in Clare by the local authority to a HAP property last year, with 22 homeless people in all placed in similar properties in this county since 2017.
More than 200 households signed off their HAP payment here in 2019 – a similar number to the two years prior – however, those starting the payment in Clare continues to be more than those exiting it.
More than 57,000 people nationwide are on the payment – with Clare accounting for nearly 3% of this total.
Interestingly, Clare County Council has the third highest rate of rental properties being used for HAP in the country, with more than 1 in 4 houses here now being used for the scheme.
