More than 400 households in Wicklow reimbursed for housing Ukrainian refugees
The Wicklow PeopleThere’s been an increase in properties receiving Accommodation Recognition Payments (ARP) in Wicklow.
The ARP is a tax-free monthly financial contribution of €600 available to households who provide accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive since March 2022.
Figures released to Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on migration, Matt Carthy TD, reveal that the number of properties nationwide in receipt of ARP rose from 4,245 in January 2023 to 21,803 by mid-July of this year, a rise of over 17,500.
In Wicklow, the number has jumped from 154 to 463 over the same period.
Deputy John Brady has raised concern at what he calls “a significant and worrying increase in the number of private properties being brought into the ARP scheme.
“In Wicklow alone, we have seen ARP properties triple in the space of just 18 months. This is happening while thousands of families in the county are being priced out of the private rental market. This is particularly concerning when only 58 properties are currently available to rent in the county”.
The Wicklow TD said that the government had failed to acknowledge the impact of the scheme on rental supply.
“We are in the middle of a housing emergency”, he said. “Instead of protecting tenants or investing in long-term housing solutions, the government has created a system where landlords can cash in on the ARP, avoid the rules of the private rental sector, and bypass tenant many protections”.
The figures show that 21,803 properties are being paid under the scheme, provided by just 16,900 owners.
Deputy Brady claimed landlords are taking advantage of a state-funded scheme with “little oversight or long-term benefit to the housing system”.
“This is a direct consequence of the government’s failure to plan and their refusal to engage in proper housing reform. Wicklow families are being left behind while landlords are benefitting” he added.