Threshold tenancy protection scheme to be extended from Dublin to Cork city

A "tenancy protection" scheme, aimed at keeping families at risk of homelessness in their homes, is being extended from Dublin to Cork city. Its extension is being seen as recognition at Government level that rent supplement caps in Cork are failing to keep up with rent increases.

There are currently 12 families, with 25 children, in homeless emergency accommodation in Cork city. There area further 10 families with 25 children waiting for emergency accommodation.

The tenancy protection scheme, which is operated by the housing charity Threshold and the Department of Social Protection, enables households in the private rented sector and in receipt of rent allowance, to seek an increase where they face rent increases they cannot meet. The service has operated in Dublin since June last year.

Increasingly rent supplement caps in Cork city are not meeting market rents. The maximum rent a Cork family with one child, in receipt of the supplement, may pay is €700 a month, with two children it is €725 a month and with three, it is €750 a month.

On a property website yesterday, there were four two-bedroom apartments available in Cork city within the rent cap limits, three at €750 a month and one at €700 a month. None was accepting rent allowance.

Niall Horgan, regional manager for Threshold in Cork, said the focus was to prevent homelessness. "We have noticed an increasing number of vulnerable families and individuals in Cork contacting Threshold because they risk losing their homes. Threshold's housing advisory service in Cork responded to over 4,000 housing queries from households in difficulty in 2014."

During its five months in operation in Dublin last year, the service responded to 2,910 calls. About 1,607 households with children were advised on their rights as tenants.

Of these, 1,303 families were at “immediate risk of homelessness” and 344 tenancies were protected following intervention.