HAP and housing discussed by councillors

There is a “critical need to plan” for the future says Fianna Fáil’s Áine Smith who, speaking at the June monthly meeting of Cavan County Council, advocated for housing developments that meet both overall demand and the specific needs of our aging population.

A “one-size-fits-all” model no longer works contended Cllr Smith, particularly as demographic trends are showing a significant increase in residents aged 65 and over and expected to surpass one in four by 2040.

“Many older residents wish to remain in their communities, close to family, services, and amenities, but face barriers due to the lack of suitable housing options,” explained Cllr Smith, adding that the local authority needs to prioritise the building of homes that are accessible, adaptable, and appropriately sized for older people.

“The majority of [current] housing stock in the county consists of larger, family-sized homes or compact modern dwellings, neither of which are well-suited to older people who may require step-free access, space for mobility aids, and the ability to retrofit adaptations,” she continued

National and local evidence Cllr Smith noted shows older people prefer well-designed, energy-efficient homes in walkable neighbourhoods.

“I believe that future housing developments, both private and social, must be inclusive and responsive to the changing demographic profile of our population. House size is a key component of suitability, with too many modern homes lacking the space needed for safe, independent living in later life.

“We need an increased provision of accessible, adaptable, and appropriately-sized homes for older people; it’s essential not just for individual well-being, but also for reducing pressure on health and care services.”

Cllr Smith is calling on the Minister for Housing, James Browne, to acknowledge these needs in future housing strategies. She’s also calling for a full review of housing stock in Cavan at present, the creation of planning guidance to define suitable home standards, and a requirement for developers to include age-appropriate homes in all residential developments built heretofore.

Her motion was supported by party colleague Patricia Walsh and Sinn Féin’s Stiofán Conaty who said there is a need for the council to build more bungalow-type accommodation too.

It was the outgoing Cathaoirleach TP O’Reilly who raised issues around the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), and its thresholds, for debate at the same meeting.

Since July 2022 each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit, and for new tenancies to extend the couple’s rate to single persons households.

Towards the end of last year there were more than 440 HAP tenancies registered in Cavan.

But Cllr O’Reilly said many families were still being excluded from the scheme because of the income threshold.

The motion was supported by Niamh Brady (FG) and Sinn Féin’s Stiofán Conaty, while Independent Ireland’s Shane P O’Reilly fumed at how residents eligible for HAP had leeway of as much as €10,000 more if living just across the border in Co Meath.

He said he was “against feathering the next” of any landlord in Ireland, and hit out at the lack of inaction by government in extending rent caps to Cavan, saying that areas like Virginia and much of the east of the county had been part of the wider Dublin commuter belt “for years”.

He criticised where HAP had been used in some cases as a “landlord fattening exercise”, especially where people were left living in “deplorable” conditions with no where else to go.

Independent Brendan Fay pointed out how rents costs in Cavan have “quadrupled” in some parts over the past four to five years, with Patricia Walsh (FF) says the costs families face on HAP, sometimes between €8-900 per month not including council contributions was “too much”.

Trevor Smith (FG) lamented that because of the income thresholds, some households found themselves “better off not working”.

Clifford Kelly (FF) also backed the motion, while Cllr T.P. O’Reilly returned to the debate saying that an “overhaul” was badly needed.