Housing assistance payments costs rise €3.4m in last year

The amount of money paid out by Meath County Council to tenants under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme has risen by €3.4 million in a year, figures disclosed by the council have revealed.

The Housing Assistance Payment (or HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. Tenants pay a weekly HAP rent contribution to their local council based on their income and their ability to pay. Under HAP legislation, limits for HAP payments are based on the number of people in a household and the rental market in the locality.

Fianna Fail Cllr Damien O’Reilly had asked Meath County Council officials for the total amount of HAP paypents pay out to tenants for the last two years. He was told that a total of €21,352, 113 had been paid out in 2019 and this had risen to €24,821,153 for 2020.

Meath County Council had joined the Housing Assistance Payment scheme in November 2015. HAP was intended to largely replace rent supplement which was designed as a short term support and the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

These are the payments paid out under HAP – One adult in shared accommodation €310; A couple in shared accommodation €350; One adult €575; A couple €700; One adult or a couple with one child €975; One adult or a couple, or a couple with two children €1,050; One adult or a couple with three children €1,100. In certain circumstances a local authority can apply flexibility of 20 per cent to these ceilings.

Cllr O’Reilly was told that a total of 3,482 tenancies were set up for Meath between November 2015 and December 2020. At the end of last year Meath had 2,275 live tenancies. The equivalent figure at the end of 2019 was 2,089.

HAP rent payments to landlords in respect of HAP tenancies in Meath are paid through the Shared Service Centre (SSC) for HAP (hosted by Limerick City and County Council.