A Sligo councillor says inadequate payments under the Housing Assistance Payment, or HAP, scheme and a reluctance of some landlords to accept tenants who are on the scheme, are two of the main problems facing people on low incomes as they search for housing.
Solidarity People Before Profit Councillor Gino O Boyle also says another major problem is, what he describes as ‘discrimination’ against single mothers trying to rent accommodation.
He was speaking after a new report found 72 homes nationally were available to people on Housing Assistance Payments – a nine percent fall on three months ago.
The Simon Communities looked at the affordability of rental accommodation over three days last month.
It’s “Locked Out” report shows that when local authorities increased grants, more than 1,000 homes became accessible for lower income families.
Cllr O Boyle says a number of issues keep arising when it comes to HAP payments.
Wayne Stanley, from Simon Communities Ireland, says increasing HAP payments would help in Dublin but not necessarily in other areas:
