Housing Assistance Payments not fit for purpose, charities claim

Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty told RTE Radio’s Today with Sean O’Rourke show that while HAP is intended to help families secure a place to live, the reality is that HAP limits are insufficient to secure private rental accommodation.

The Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) system is not fit for purpose and needs to be changed as the gap between HAP and rents in the private rental sector is putting more families at risk of homelessness.

This is according to a new survey from two charities involved in the sector – Threshold and the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).