Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of tenants in receipt of homeless HAP. Several people have contacted me recently on this issue. I will refer to two of them. I was contacted by a young woman who is in receipt of homeless HAP. In 2018 she was paying €1,500 and getting the cap of €990 under the homeless HAP, which meant she was paying €510 as a top-up. Several years later, she has now received a rent review which is to be implemented on 6 June. Her rent is being increased to €1,730.22. That is €740 extra in the context of the top-up.

A couple with a child who are living in two-bedroom apartment were initially paying a rent of €1,900 in 2018. They had a HAP top-up of €1,875, which is the maximum level. Their rent has been increased several times and they are now facing a rent of €2,096. That is an increase in the top-up to €221, from €25 several years ago. I raised this with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive. It stated that it has seen this issue raising its head, as has Threshold.

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