Not enough rental properties for homeless cases says report

A shortage of suitable housing for people seeking to leave homelessness is at “crisis” levels, Threshold has warned.

The charity made the claim ahead of launching two reports today which show a large number of referrals to its access housing unit (AHU), which began work in summer 2012.

It also highlights a chronic lack of suitable housing for clients dealt with by the AHU.

While it is hoped the AHU will expand into Kerry in the new year, the majority of its work so far has been centred on Cork City, where problems with homelessness are more acute.

According to a third quarterly report for this year, the AHU in Threshold said the number of suitable properties for its clients had plummeted.

“A snapshot study was carried out over a week in Jul 2012; there were 73 properties available under the maximum rent levels,” it said.

“A follow-on snapshot was completed in Sept 2013 which showed 14 properties were available under the maximum rent levels, only one of which was available for a single person.”

Diarmaid O’Sullivan, services manager for Threshold in Cork, said: “I don’t think it’s overstating it to say it is a crisis at this stage.”

He said the two snapshots were based on the availability of properties advertised on websites such as daft.ie. However, notwithstanding the fact that some available properties may be advertised elsewhere, it was clear that AHU clients seeking to maintain sustainable tenancies with the help of rent supplement were now “being priced out of the market”.

At the time of the first “snapshot”, if somebody wanted to avail of rent supplement the maximum amount of rent payable on a property was €450 for a single person. That has since been altered to €485, while for a couple with one child the maximum rental figure was €700.

“The amount of rental properties available under the maximum figure has just dropped, dropped, dropped,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

He said long-term sustainable tenancies for people who may be vulnerable were more likely to work in decent standard accommodation, but many landlords can now afford to be “choosy” regarding tenants because of high demand in the rental market.

Mr O’Sullivan said the shortage of local authority housing stock, waiting lists for social housing, and difficulties for people seeking mortgages had all contributed to the problem.

He said flexibility regarding maximum rental levels for rent supplement would be one solution, particularly as it can cost up to €30,000 a year to keep somebody in emergency hostel accommodation.

The AHU has overcome the shortage of suitable properties by developing positive working relationships with many landlords.

The reports launched today also reveal the AHU prevented 54 individuals and families from entering homeless services, sometimes because of threatened illegal evictions.

*www.threshold.ie