Cork council to hold special meeting on 'cruel' funding cuts to tenant-in-situ scheme

Cork City Council will discuss writing to the housing minister and the Taoiseach requesting urgent increased funding to help dozens of people at immediate risk of homelessness

The tenant-in-situ scheme allows local authorities to step in and buy a rental property if the landlord is selling up, allowing the tenants to remain in place and continue renting. File picture

Sinn Féin has secured the holding of a special Cork City Council meeting to discuss "cruel” funding cuts which have put dozens of people at immediate risk of homelessness.

The meeting will consider one item – a motion calling on the council to write to the housing minister and the Taoiseach requesting urgent increased funding for the council’s capital acquisitions scheme to allow the tenant-in-situ scheme to continue.

The special meeting was secured after the Sinn Féin councillors, supported by Worker’s Party Cllr Ted Tynan, submitted a notice under section 44(6) of the Local Government Act, which allows for the calling of a special meeting.

It was sought after confirmation on Monday that following reduced government funding, local authorities across the country have been forced to cease their capital acquisitions programme, which funded certain homeless prevention interventions and ‘exits from homelessness’, including the rightsizing scheme and the tenant-in-situ scheme.

The tenant-in-situ scheme allows local authorities to step in and buy a rental property if the landlord is selling up, allowing the tenants to remain in place and continue renting.

But clarity on available government funding for the acquisitions programme was only provided by the Department of Housing in late March, when councils were already sale agreed on several homes.

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The council’s director of services in housing, Alison O’Rourke, told councillors on Monday that its €20m allocation is inadequate to fulfil its existing commitments and the projected programme for 2025.

She said the council’s acquisition programme for this year “is now ceased” and said the move will have a “significant effect on homeless preventions”.

Last year, the tenant-in-situ scheme alone accounted for almost two in every five homeless preventions in Cork City, which included 51 families comprising 100 children.

In the first three months of this year alone, the council has seen 104 eviction notices issued and 39 new households entering emergency accommodation, and it has had engagement with 33 households who are very soon to be evicted.

Ms O'Rourke said the council will continue to pursue all other options available to it.