Anger over housing support reform

Social housing tenants will have part of their rents deducted directly from their dole but be able to retain housing support while in employment for the first time.

But opposition TDs last night brushed aside Government claims that new housing legislation was radical and said it was instead a “clampdown” on social housing tenants.

TDs voted to pass new rules on how tens of thousands of tenants will, from now on, receive support from the State for their housing needs.

The Housing Bill moves control of rent supplements from the Department of Social Protection to the local authorities. Crucially, it will also allow tenants to work and still retain their rent support. Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan said social housing tenants could now apply for a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the new measures were “the most radical reform of public housing support in decades”.

Under the new scheme, local authorities will pay landlords directly. A new tenant purchase scheme will also be introduced for families, enabling people to buy their homes.

However, Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger, criticised the bill, saying it was “privatising” social housing by handing more control to landlords rather than building new homes for families.

Labour/FG will pass Housing Bill tonight that will damage right to housing & will boost private landlords #dubw #Dáil pic.twitter.com/jjDhCFwzUS

— Ruth Coppinger (@RuthCoppingerSP) June 17, 2014

Authorities would also, for the first time, be able to deduct any arrears for rents directly from people’s social welfare payments, noted the Dublin West TD.

Two mothers joined the TD yesterday. Dubliner Tamara Kearns, currently homeless, said: “Hundreds of homeless families were hoping to see vacant houses released, new homes built and the introduction of rent controls. None of these are in the bill.”

Independent TD Róisín Shortall welcomed measures to remove property traps where tenants could still get support while working.

But she said there were concerns that when tenants signed up to the new HAP, they would be taken off housing lists under the legislation and lose places.

The new regulations were an attempt to “massage” housing figures, argued the Dublin North West TD.

But Minister O’Sullivan’s officials rejected the claims.

People’s ability or right to apply for local authority housing would not be affected, her department said, and someone’s time on a waiting list would be carried forward.

Housing group Threshold welcomed the legislation and said the changes would give greater security to tenants where authorities paid rents directly to landlords.