Kathleen Funchion warns marginal renters face homelessness
Kathleen Funchion spoke about renters excluded from housing supports, arguing that families marginally over income thresholds are at real risk of homelessness. She criticised existing schemes and asked the minister what will be done for people on notices to quit and those who do not qualify for assistance.
Main concern
Ms Funchion said all aspects of the housing system are broken and focused on renters who do not qualify for supports. She highlighted people marginally over the income threshold - for example a household just €600 a year over the limit - and families paying rents of £1,350 who are at risk of homelessness.
Constituent examples and hardship
She described families of two adults and two children forced to borrow from family, friends and money lenders to pay extortionate rents. She noted that a family income supplement of €20 per week can push a household over income limits, leaving them excluded from supports and under severe stress.
Critique of schemes and local resources
Ms Funchion questioned the effectiveness of the cost rental scheme, saying she does not know anyone who has qualified for it. She argued local authorities lack adequate resources, with the same staff dealing with the homeless section, HAP allocations, HAP Place Finder and new schemes, and warned not all landlords will participate or may take properties back for other reasons.
Direct challenge to the minister
She asked the minister what concrete action will be taken for people who do not qualify for supports, cannot join the housing list and face notices to quit in the coming weeks. Ms Funchion called attention to those who have nowhere to go and said these households have been "thrown to the wolves".
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Thanks very much. First of all, I want to start by saying that all aspects of our housing system are broken, whether you are a first-time buyer trying to save for a house, whether you are renting, whether you are on a housing list, whether you are somebody who, through a change in family circumstance, needs to move out and try and get a different property. There is so much that we could talk about when we talk about housing that it is difficult at times to know what to focus on. Tonight, I want to focus particularly on the renters who do not qualify for any assistance or supports. I am not talking about people on seriously high wages. I am talking about people who are marginally over the threshold. I am talking about people who are €600, for example, in their whole year over the threshold. I am talking about a family of two adults and two children who are struggling every single month to pay a rent of £1,350. They are at risk of homelessness because they end up having to borrow from family, from friends, from money lenders, from any source that they can to try and pay their rent. Yet they are not seen as at the risk of homelessness, but they clearly very much are at the risk of homelessness. I am talking about the family that I know that their €20 family income supplement per week puts them over the income limits. I mean, it is just absolutely beggars belief to me. I have to stop myself saying to them, cancel your family income supplement, because they need that money. They actually need that money for their kids and for everything else that they have to try and pay. But that is what puts them over the limit. Every €20 per week puts them over the limit. A family, again, of two adults and two children. I want to specifically focus on those people who do not qualify for supports, who are either on a notice to quit right now or who are really struggling to pay those extortionate rents, because those people have been thrown to the wolves. We have heard so much about this cost rental scheme. I do not know one single person that has qualified for that. And before anybody in government or yourself, Minister, tries to blame the local authorities, they have not been given the adequate resources. We have the same staff trying to deal with the homeless section, trying to deal with HAP allocations, HAP Place Finder, and they are supposed to do this now as well. It is absolutely impossible for them to do that. And not everybody will qualify for that scheme, even if it was up and running sufficiently, even if there was adequate staff, because not all landlords are selling. Some are taking the houses back for other reasons or for family reasons. So there are so many people right now that are left with no choice but to overhold an accommodation, which is not a good situation for anyone to be in. It is extremely stressful. It is extremely worrying. And that is not advice that we want to be given to people. However, for a lot of people, what do they do? Where do they go? I actually was delighted to get the opportunity to speak on this this evening, because I do want to ask you directly, Minister, what are you going to do for people who do not qualify for supports, who cannot go on the housing list, who are marginally over the income thresholds, who have nowhere to go in the next few weeks when their notices to quit are up? Thank you. Thank you. .
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
