Schemes ending homelessness are being abandoned amid record rise
Government funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme has been cut to such an extent that local authorities, including in Cork and Limerick, have had to close the scheme.
The minister for housing is crystal clear in expressing his determination to “unlock the barriers to home delivery at the scale that’s needed” and to “accelerate the provision of homes in our communities”.
As the minister finalises his plan to deliver his goals over the next five years, it must not be at the immediate expense of successful initiatives that have prevented vulnerable households from being pushed into homelessness, households this Government has promised to protect.
The tenant-in-situ scheme prevented more than 1,600 households last year from having to depend on an emergency accommodation system creaking at the seams. It’s a fraction of the more than 9,000 notices of termination received by the Residential Tenancies Board last year because the landlord intended selling the property.
But in cases where the tenant was at risk of homelessness, the scheme allowed local authorities to purchase the property and continue renting it to the tenant. Eviction avoided. The trauma and uncertainty of homelessness removed. Some peace of mind around security of tenure achieved.
A viable and successful safety net for households on the edge of homelessness, that has inexplicably been severely restricted.
Government funding has been cut to such an extent that local authorities, including in Cork and Limerick, have had to close the scheme.
Where does it leave the commitment in the programme for government 2025 to not just continue with the scheme but to have annual targets and budgets assigned for each local authority?
It’s not the only safety net for under-pressure households whose only housing option is the private rental sector. The Government has signalled an end to rent pressure zones when the legislation expires at the end of this year. Alternatives are being considered, but the nature of them is unclear.
It’s true these zones have likely helped create a two-tier market where new tenancies can be significantly more expensive than existing ones, but they offer households some certainty and stability around their housing costs and their ability to budget.
In its range of measures to protect vulnerable households, the programme for government commits to continue reviewing the effectiveness of rent pressure zones but not scrapping them altogether.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only added uncertainty being foisted upon households facing housing inequality. An increasing number of households are experiencing housing exclusion, with concern growing their number is likely to increase because of the Government’s apparent under-funding of various schemes for the voluntary housing sector.
One example is the Capital Assistance Scheme, which is used for housing acquisitions for people who are homeless, elderly, have a disability or with special needs. Concern is growing about the Government’s failure to provide adequate funding for these schemes. Local authorities have consequently had to call a halt to any further acquisitions under the scheme, putting at risk the delivery of the national Housing First programme and other pathways out of homelessness.
The Housing First programme was established three years ago to eliminate homelessness for people with a history of rough sleeping and long-term use of emergency homeless accommodation. The programme for government commits to creating “2,000 Housing First tenancies to help eliminate long-term homelessness”.
Funding streams such as the Capital Assistance Scheme are needed to create these tenancies, which are now seriously compromised.
Long-term homelessness is already at record levels. On the last night of 2024, two out of every three family households in emergency accommodation were stuck there for more than six months — the threshold for being deemed long-term homeless. It was over 50% for single households in emergency accommodation.
One in four households were homeless for more than 18 months. In the 12 months to the end of last year, the number of long-term homeless households in emergency accommodation increased by more than 13%, to 5,142 households.
Local authorities and the voluntary sector are working together at the forefront of delivering Government policy and its commitments to protect vulnerable households. They cannot do it without the tools and the resources that only the Government can deliver.
The minister for housing’s intention to maintain a razor-sharp focus on removing the barriers to housing delivery at scale as quickly as possible is absolutely necessary. So too are the government’s commitments to protect vulnerable households.
Just 12 weeks into this Government’s term it’s beginning to look like some of these commitments are waning. Households are under significant pressure as it is. More layers of uncertainty is the last thing they need.
- Paul Sheehan is head of campaigns and communications with Cork Simon
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