Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
359. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if local authorities outside of the four Dublin local authorities can grant homeless persons the housing assistance payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21659/23]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. Under HAP, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market.
Additional supports are available under HAP for homeless households or households at risk of homelessness nationwide. While eligible households or individuals may source accommodation for themselves under the Homeless HAP scheme, a dedicated resource, the Place Finder Service, has been established nationwide to provide assistance.
The Place Finder service assists households in or at immediate risk of homelessness primarily by providing access to deposits and advance rental payments. These elements are the core financial supports and are available to prospective tenants in all local authority areas.
To qualify for specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988. The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority.
Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it, or up to 50% in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. It should be noted that it is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the discretion is warranted on a case by case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.
My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review.
