Councils applying rigid interpretation of departmental note covering income limits, housing advocates sayAnnual income limits of €25,000-€42,000, depending on the local authority and household size, have not changed since 2011. Photograph: iStockCouncils are using a “very badly worded” circular from the Department of Housing to exclude families from social housing despite their incomes falling below qualifying thresholds, housing rights advocates are warning.
Councils are applying a “rigid” interpretation of this, says Aoife Kelly-Desmond, managing solicitor with the Mercy Law legal charity. “They are looking back at an applicant’s average income over the preceding 12 months, even where their current circumstances have changed and their income is below the qualifying income threshold.”
“Even more concerningly, we see many local authorities use eligibility for social housing as a ‘proxy’ for eligibility for emergency homeless accommodation.”Opposition housing spokesmen Eoin Ó Broin of Sinn Féin and Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit say they have had multiple cases in their clinics over the past 15 months. “It’s absolutely shocking and it’s getting worse,” said Boyd Barrett.
Ms Kelly-Desmond said: “At a minimum the circular needs to be amended to return discretion to local authorities to consider a material change in circumstances when assessing applications for social housing.A Department of Housing spokesman said: “Social housing is a long-term support for households with continuing, long-term difficulty meeting their accommodation needs.
She says that although she and her partner were apart, she was living with her parents and receiving the One Parent Family Payment of €208 plus €80 per week for the children — about €15,000 per year. When she and her partner reunited in February, she stopped receiving this. He earns “a good bit less” than €38,000 a year as a labourer.
“Last Friday someone called from the council. She said, ‘I’m sorry to tell you, you are over the yearly income threshold for social housing’.” She was told their combined incomes over the year up to April was more than €38,000.
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