Call for review of income threshold after struggling Leitrim family removed from housing list
An update on the housing list of Leitrim County Council was sought at the recent meeting of the county council.
Cllr Padraig Fallon (SF) tabled a motion asking, “What is the number of applicants on the housing list, the number that have been reassessed in the last six months, and the numbers not meeting eligibility criteria anymore due to marginal income increases?”
Speaking on his motion, Cllr Fallon spoke of the problems that one family had been experiencing. “I was working with a family who were being reassessed. The family were removed from the list and then subsequently returned to the list,” he stated.
“This family experienced anxiety because of this,” he added.
The reply from the council to his motion stated that three applicants had been removed from the housing list since last November, due to exceeding the income threshold. The number of applicants reassessed since last November was 15.
Cllr Fallon went on to call for an increase in the income threshold. “People are no longer meeting the criteria for housing eligibility due to the income threshold. The threshold needs to be increased,” he stated.
“This is not a new problem, and it needs to see action,” Cllr Fallon added.
He went on to say that, “20% of those being reassessed are not meeting the eligibility criteria.”
Cllr Fallon also acknowledged the work undertaken by the Housing Department of the council. “I want to thank the housing department for the information and for their hard work. It is the most difficult department to work in,” he commented.
The reply from the council stated that, “the number of approved applicants on the Housing Waiting List, including those on HAP and the Transfer List, is 590.
“Leitrim County Council is required to complete a statutory Housing Needs Assessment annually. This process involves a detailed review and re-assessment of previously qualified housing applicants who were included on the Housing Wait List in order to confirm that they remain eligible for, are in need of and qualified for Social Housing Support.”
“The council is also required to re-assess social housing support applications where there is a change in circumstances (e.g., household income, household size, alternative accommodation), before an offer of social housing, or where an applicant seeks changes in their application,” the reply added.