Cork has highest number of domestic violence survivors accessing rent supplement
The scheme allows domestic abuse survivors to access rent supplement for three months without a means test to try to ensure they are not prevented from leaving their home due to financial concerns.
Cork has had the highest number of domestic violence survivors availing of a rent supplement scheme, with a charity saying that is reflective of the “severely deficient” access to refuge spaces.
The scheme, which was introduced during the pandemic, allows domestic abuse survivors to access rent supplement for three months without a means test to try to ensure they are not prevented from leaving their home due to financial concerns.
Statistics released by the Department of Social Protection show that 24 people in Cork have accessed the scheme since its launch in August 2020. Seven are currently being supported under it.
Dublin has the next highest with 20 people availing of the scheme, followed by Galway with 15.
In all, 153 people have accessed rent supplement in this manner so far, with 40 currently in receipt of it.
The scheme was initially run on a pilot basis but the Government announced earlier this month it would become a permanent measure.
“This ensures that victims of domestic violence can continue to get immediate access to rent supplement for a three-month period to ensure that they are not prevented from leaving their home because of financial concerns,” said Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys.
After the initial three-month period, an applicant can apply for a three-month extension but this is based on the usual means test.
After six months, if the tenant has a long-term housing need, they can apply to their local authority for social housing supports and, if eligible, can access the housing assistance payment (HAP), said the minister.
“Access to rent supplement is additional and complementary to, and not a substitution for, the range of other supports already in place for victims of domestic violence,” she said.
Responding to the latest figures, Safe Ireland CEO Mary McDermott said the number of beneficiaries is “encouraging” but it is evident that the highest demand is coming from counties with little to no refuge spaces.
“29% of the beneficiaries were within the counties with no refuge spaces at all, and a further 23% in Cork, Galway, and Mayo which are severely deficient in units,” said Ms McDermott.
“Of course, these figures of themselves are not a reflection of demand for crisis accommodation, as access to the supplement is also contingent on the local availability of rental property and, unfortunately, there are many areas where there are no such rentals available.
Ms McDermott added that the absence of a means test for this support goes a long way to helping people to understand the “often subtle nature of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence”.
“The DV rent supplement means that the Department of Social Protection sees beyond literal monetary/asset assessment in identifying how social exclusion and poverty can actually work within oppressive homes,” she said.
- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.
