The number of properties that were available to rent within the discretionary rate of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme last month fell to 32.
It is a decrease of nine properties (-22%) since March, according to the latest Simon Communities quarterly Locked Out of the Market report.
Over three dates last month, 16 areas were surveyed which showed that 978 properties were available to rent at any price.
That is a 17% fall from the 1,178 properties that were available in June 2024.
Last month, there were no properties available in eight out of 16 areas.
These included Athlone, Cork city centre, Cork city suburbs, Co Leitrim, Limerick city centre, Sligo town, Portlaoise, and Waterford city centre.
Four of the 16 areas saw a reduction in the number of HAP properties available compared to March.
The four areas in question were Dublin city north (seven properties), Dublin city centre (two properties), Dundalk (one property), and Kildare (one property).
Sligo Town and Portlaoise had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with just seven and two properties available in each area, respectively.
As seen in previous Locked Out of the Market reports, the supply of properties within HAP limits were predominantly in Dublin.
Last month, 22 of the total 32 HAP properties were in the capital.
Just five of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within HAP limits.
These included Dundalk (three properties), Galway city suburbs (one property), Galway city centre (one property), Kildare (four properties), and Limerick city suburbs (one property).
The report considers the availability of properties within both the standard and discretionary HAP limits in 16 areas for household categories including single people, couples, couple/one parent families with one child and couples or one parent families with two children.
There was a lack of availability across all household categories within standard or discretionary HAP limits.
Discretionary HAP limits includes ‘homeless HAP’, which is the increased rate of HAP for people experiencing homelessness.
In Dublin, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate; this is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country.
Last month, there were no properties available to couples or one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate.
There were ten properties available through discretionary HAP rates.
One property was available in a suburb of Limerick city to couples or one-parent households with two children through a standard HAP rate last month.
There were five properties available for people in this category through discretionary HAP rates, and an additional ten that overlapped with properties available to families with one child.
Simon Communities of Ireland Executive Director Ber Grogan said the over representation of one-parent families in the thousands of families and children experiencing homelessness was particularly concerning.
She said the latest findings must act as “a wake-up call” for policymakers.
The report features Cork Simon service user Nathan who said he was “fed up” with trying to secure a rental property.
“Most of the time you ring a place, it’s gone. You get fed up of every day doing it and then you just give up for a while; depressed out of me head. You can’t get out of it [homelessness].
“I don’t seem to see a way anyway. And it’s not for want of trying. A bed, a bathroom and a kitchen. Basics. Oh, I’d love it. Come and go as you please,” he said.
Article Source – Number of properties available under HAP scheme fell last month