Finding the Way Home “ seemletobbe nusifntgalnsanyos ioeaesnd hheaesto esn’t “ €m0canweelkaIrmnyahiing,eykte It’knonorhinu,ste artearlyms’onfshihtcohew,wtaevh,uonilgmnoymtpehat’toigcnintuoere7’hItyhwodtsurjsotnows,aar,rgrnyrhtrfeswtsiderecferoiodheenot’npeoveaPh that’s happened. And we would have a number without ESB, gas or putting something in the of people who, you know would benefit…where fridge. You know that’s a lot of money when they would move into a decent property and have you’re on social welfare. Very difficult to get a the floating service, but it’s often impossible to council house in location. What I’m looking for get that, it’s rare if ever. a council house really, which is only €25, €30 Service Provider. a week and they look after you... “ vfasomyaoneI ea.aSoto tshhecmodyeas’ksshth’re guwenra “ My tngcloo,rIryocgahttiepgauhccyr,eevsnw,tereirygstolwlyrdssa48.,snei.nseasebweooltmoyhnamdkervomygrooelmf’Iobeednlentiroenwnxe,tnlteailiwpelms’aMelvaioceruaohct.emeehhhctvi‘llemmtetw’yoneahtck,sytaen,hlitc,tmnsoiulboeehmettotnofaiedsbnklllitrstwwysoendhtelrteecugagnxoIel So, it’s very, very difficult for people to plan. So Male with experience of long term living rough, 43. for example, if they were given a very, very clear message, some people, they may decide to opt The second issue with housing supply centred on access to for private rented. private rented sector and the affordability of private rented Service Provider. housing. Standards were often perceived as poor in the lower end of the private rented sector and rents were high in relation For both service providers and some people who were to what people who had been homeless were likely to be able homeless, the barriers to social housing were a cause for to afford. Of particular importance within these concerns were concern because social housing was seen as the one restrictions in welfare benefit allowances for rent81 that were (theoretically) available housing option that was likely to be widely seen as requiring people who had been homeless to adequate, affordable and, importantly, secure. The idea that ‘top up’ their rent payments. same, or often significantly more, money was quite that’s under the rent cap is our major problem.“iontadommoccalatneretavirpfokcalehtyllautcAeehrterwofoylhewtaelvipropedpertonfe’reveitbadnlruetolcatraethtwebo‘tadesraawpgmnioscusoshelleaimcoosh widespread. Service Provider. “ socimlohk usisocfromveh, thocalthnohoriitty csea r,hihatof “ Rentioy.llTihig nce deaximunshousehdsdts haeisoutoeswoclrogotnverbaosdlloohrsaedrnhtatmeittaluusqermnaafcoaswnosuAlhdareofrgnttaglniidlieubuqtttuaaer’eyedlamewto’nyleaiht,gwnofnooercalaeyhnTa the past. So what we’re finding anyway...we kind of (illegally) top-up their rent payments, and so put knew it was going to happen because we’ve lots of themselves under financial pressure in other experience in resettlement. We’re working with areas. The low standards of some rented people in very unstable and unsuitable private accommodation makes it harder for people to rented accommodation, more often than not the sustain their tenancies. fact that it’s private rented, straight off, means it’s Service Provider. insecure and we just find people moving in and out of it...social housing on the other hand it’s near impossible to be evicted, once you have a social housing tenancy and so they will work with you...they’ll allow rent arrears to creep up to a certain extent, so that’s stability, but once you’re in private rented and you hit problems, that’s it. Service Provider. 81 i.e. Rent or Mortgage Interest Supplements http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/ SW54/Pages/1WhatisSupplementaryWelfareAllowance.aspx 22
Finding the Way Home
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