Number of local people eligible for social housing to rise

Social Housing Means Calculation increasing from €25,000 to €30,000 from October 1 in Westmeath.

The number of people eligible for social housing will increase following new regulations for Westmeath that have been approved today.

The county will move from Band 3 to Band 2 of income limits for social housing, Minister of State Peter Burke announced.

His department made the decision today. He said: “This will mean that income eligibility thresholds will better reflect the housing costs in Westmeath.

“This will increase the number of people who are eligible for social housing going from income of €25,000 to income of €30,000. There are a huge number of cases, who I meet every week in my clinic, who are on a basic wage, but who are not able to qualify for social housing and are struggling with rents.

“This will bring those borderline cases and many more, into the bracket of being eligible for social housing.

“In some cases, a maintenance payment for a child, or part-time wages can put an applicant over the limit. This increase will address some of those cases.

“This is another step to ensuring our ‘Housing for All’ strategy has real impact for families and individuals in need of housing.

“Having fought this case in government, I am delighted it has been recognised as a significant issue that has now been addressed.

“I know of many cases where this increase will be a great relief and allow families most in need to access social housing. This move will also be an incentive to work and all the benefits that this brings to a family.

“We will be seeing movement on the Social Housing list with many new housing projects coming to fruition in Westmeath in the coming months,” Minister Burke concluded.