The publication of revised social housing income levels that will apply across the Laois Local Authority area.
The change will be implemented via Ministerial Regulations and will most likely come into effect from October 1.
The baseline income eligibility threshold for the affected local authority areas – Carlow, Clare, Galway County, Laois and Westmeath – will increase from €25,000 to €30,000.
There have been persistent calls for several years now for the current system to be updated as within the current model even those in emergency accommodation can be refused access to social housing lists if their income is only marginally above the application threshold.
The news has been widely welcomed by local representatives with Fianna Fail’s Sean Fleming explaining how he and his colleagues lobbied the Minister for Housing on the issue recently.
Deputy Fleming said: “The Fianna Fáil public representatives in Laois met with Minister Darragh O’Brien T.D. on his visit to County Laois May 16th 2022.
“The sole item for discussion at the meeting with the Minister was to increase the income threshold eligibility of €25,000 for social housing applicants.
“We are all very pleased that the Minister has agreed to the very strong and direct views put forward by the local Councillors in County Laois.
“At the meeting Minister Darragh O’Brien indicated that he would announce an increase in the eligibility threshold for social housing in September.
“We are pleased that he has delivered on his commitment and this increase in the eligibility threshold which will be good news to many people in Laois and throughout the country who will now be eligible to apply for social housing.”
Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley said: “This is long overdue and both myself and my Sinn Féin colleagues have raised this over recent years with successive housing Ministers.
“For too long people who are working and cannot get a mortgage, have been excluded from applying for social housing.
“This has kept low income working families in Private Rented Accommodation (PRA) from applying for housing while paying exorbitant rents.
“While this will mean an increased number on housing waiting lists, it is still welcome.
“What it also means is that the Government and county councils have to speed up delivery of social housing. Sinn Féin will be working to ensure this happens.”
Independent TD Carol Nolan said: “I think this is a common-sense move that is significantly overdue.
“We simply could not go on with the current approach remaining in place given its manifest unfairness.
“As I understand it Minister Darragh O’Brien received a report of the eligibility thresholds from departmental officials in December 2021.
“Since then, he appears to have simply sat on the report and ignored the urgency of providing new direction on this crucial matter despite the fact that the current eligibility criteria have not been revised since 2011.
“I am very concerned however that there is no mention of changes for the Offaly Local Authority area in the correspondence I have received and there is no mention of changes with respect to the unfairness that still applies to households who may have been on the housing list for many years only to be then removed from that list if it marginally exceed the income limits; because what then happens is the family have to re-apply all over again without being re-instated to their previous position on the list, even if the income increase was only temporary.”
“I will be engaging with the Minister and the Department to seek further clarification on this matter.”
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