Ms Marcella Stakem:

We welcome the opportunity to make a presentation to the committee on behalf of our respective organisations. The unprecedented housing crisis that is impacting the well-being of individuals, children and families, forcing people into a constant state of insecurity and driving poverty among those in the private rented sector, continues. Our research shows that HAP is providing an important short-term housing support and preventing more people experiencing homelessness. However, it contains a number of design flaws which need to be reformed if this support is to meet the needs of low-income households in the private rented sector.

As outlined by Mr. McCafferty, HAP limits are currently insufficient in meeting market rents, making it very difficult for low-income households to access private rented accommodation. It fails to provide sufficient security of tenure and cannot meet the needs of people who have a long-term housing need. In practical terms, this means they are households in a constant state of worry about where and how they are going to live. Society of St. Vincent de Paul members see this experience through their home visitation work, where they see families struggling to make ends meet, cutting back on essentials such as food so their rent is paid on time. It also fails to recognise the difficulties and discrimination facing some vulnerable households trying to access housing in the private rented sector, who must compete with other prospective tenants who may be seen as more desirable by landlords. This is evidenced by the fact that the second highest number of queries to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission regarding the Equal Status Act relates to the housing assistance ground. Both Threshold and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul work with tenants who find themselves in this situation all too regularly.

Ultimately, what is needed for the clients we support is a broader choice of housing, real affordable rental, real affordable purchase and an increase in local authority and AHB building and acquisition. These are vital ingredients to address the issue of housing supply and render the private sector more affordable.

We have outlined a number of other recommendations that we feel would make HAP a workable short-term housing solution until such time as there is sufficient social housing provision. Our research recommends that a complete review of HAP and its interaction with the private rented sector is required to determine the next steps for HAP, given the changed landscape of housing and renting in Ireland since its introduction in 2014. We recommend a strategy to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector, which will ensure that all accommodation meets an energy rating of at least C1 or higher by 2030. This is urgently required as Society of St. Vincent de Paul members who visit people in their homes find that many tenants are living in substandard and possibly unsafe accommodation, and are unable to force their landlord to improve the standard of their living conditions in case they are asked to leave.

If a tenant who is engaging with a local authority falls into arrears on his or her differential rent or top-up, a realistic repayment plan should be worked out to clear the arrears over time with the local authority and the landlord. In the interim, the local authority should continue to make the housing assistance payment to the landlord to prevent the household entering homelessness.

We also recommend a protocol similar to the interim tenancy sustainment protocol for HAP to prevent homelessness. We have witnessed through our work an increase in the number of clients getting into difficulty with their rent in recent times. This is occurring as households cannot continue to pay unaffordable top-ups in addition to their rent contribution through HAP. The roll-out of an information and awareness raising campaign to educate landlords on HAP and the equality legislation is needed. An investigation into landlord and agent refusal to accept HAP should also be included in the review. As shown, some local authorities are not awarding the 20% uplift, despite recipients receiving it in previous tenancies. All local authorities should provide the 20% uplift where a household requires it to improve affordability and as a homelessness prevention measure. On a practical level, there are steps that could be taken to improve how HAP works in practice. The length of time to process applications, the payment of rent from the date the application is processed as opposed to the date the tenancy commenced, the payment of rent in arrears and the non-payment of a deposit must all be addressed to reflect the reality of the private rented sector.

Through our work we see the devastating impacts that insecure housing has on people's physical, financial, social and emotional well-being, all of whom now have the added pressure that Covid-19 has brought to people's lives. We are delighted to have had the opportunity to complete the report with Threshold, which also works with households that are dealing with significant stress and insecurity relating to their housing tenure. We thank the committee members for listening to us today and we look forward to working with them to progress the necessary policy and practical changes required to make HAP fully fit for purpose.