Danny Healy-Rae: Housing cap is locking families out
Danny Healy-Rae spoke on 15 Dec 2020 about housing policy, arguing the income cap on local authority lists is unfair and excludes families receiving family income supplement. He urged the government to change the cap and warned of worsening rural housing problems in Kerry.
Housing cap and eligibility
The deputy said local authority housing lists apply an income cap that prevents many families from qualifying. He gave the example used in Kerry where a couple with three children earning over 33,600 euros can be removed from or barred from the housing list.
Family income supplement effect
He said family income supplement often pushes couples over the cap limit, even though those recipients remain in need of a local authority house. He argued such families are not in a position to build a home or obtain a loan and therefore the cap must be reconsidered.
Homelessness and mixed needs
He warned that different types of homelessness are being grouped together and that this is not acceptable, citing concerns that addiction and other issues are being treated the same as families simply needing a home.
Rural housing decline in Kerry
He described a decline in rural housing supports in Kerry, saying some rural homes are left to fall into disrepair and that demountable homes previously provided are no longer being delivered. He also remarked that rural cottages are not being built in sufficient numbers.
Appeal to government and context of speech
He thanked Sinn Fein, Patrick, for bringing the matter before the house and thanked Les Concola for the opportunity to speak. He said he has raised the cap before and is asking this government to rectify what he called an unfair reduction of the housing list.
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Thanks very much, Les Concola, for giving us the opportunity, because we really wanted to talk about it. It's great to get the opportunity, and I want to thank Sinn Fein, Patrick, for bringing this before us, because, honestly speaking, it's one of the biggest problems any elected member has, whether it's a member of Dail Eireann, whether it's a county council or whatever, housing is the big issue of the DA. And putting a roof, or having a roof over someone's head is very, is a very laudable aspiration. And I suppose one of the things that I've been raising for quite a while now is the housing cap. That's where people can't get on the housing list, are actually being thrown off the housing list, because they're over the caps. And I don't know if they're the same in different local authorities or whatever, but in Kerry anyway, if you're a couple, and you have three children, and if you go over 33,600 euros, you're thrown off the list, or you can't get on the list. And it's very unfortunate. And what I have found is that in many instances, what actually puts the couple over the cap limit is family income supplement. So if you're, if you're, if you're in need of family income supplement, you're surely are in need of a local authority house, and you're not in a position to build a house or to get a loan. So that issue needs to be addressed. I've asked for it before the last government, and I'm asking this government to rectify that because they may be saying that they're reducing the housing list, but they're reduced, it's being reduced unfairly. And, and I mean, 33,600, not in a way that you can get a loan or from any financial institution. Homelessness, all different types of homeless people seem to be put into the one place and there may be addiction or whatever. That's not acceptable. In Kerry, we seem to be going backwards, where rural farmers or rural people, their homes get bad and they can't live in it, they actually fall down. We, we used to be able to take out a demountable home to them people before. That's not happening anymore. Rural cottages, not being built enough from, and that's fine. Thank you very much. Richard O'Donoghue. Richard O'Donoghue.
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