Tipperary Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne has welcomed the decision to increase the social housing income threshold, but he notes that the anomaly of Tipperary’s threshold remaining below that of neighbouring counties remains unaddressed.
From January 1, 2023, an increase of €5,000 will apply to all social housing income eligibility thresholds. “For Tipperary, this will raise the threshold from €25,000 to €30,000, or to a weekly income of up to approximately €577.”
This will help many people who, to-date, have been excluded from eligibility, to be in a position to apply for social housing and once approved these applicants will also be eligible for HAP or RAS supports. Deputy Browne says the fact that Tipperary has a lower income limit than all neighbouring counties is problematic and also questions if Tipperary should be in the lowest tier given current rent prices in the county.
Deputy Brown is also seeking clarity about income disregards including the treatment of the Family Income Supplement or the income of adult children who remain part of the household due to the housing crisis. The Department of Housing is to launch a new model of income eligibility for social housing next year.
