Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 March 2025
106. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports in place for persons who are victims and survivors of domestic abuse with accrued time on the housing list, but cannot accept housing in an area due to the presence of their abuser and on advice from An Garda Síochána, but who do not wish to lose the years accrued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12893/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe qualification criteria for social housing support are set down in Section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
A household may apply for social housing support to one local authority only, which may be the authority for the area in which the household normally resides or with which it has a local connection, or where the authority agrees, at its discretion, to assess the household for support. A household may then specify up to three areas of choice for receipt of support in the areas of all housing authorities in the county and city concerned and, if qualified, will be entered on the housing waiting list of each of those housing authorities.
A household may, not less than 12 months after the date on which it is first entered on a housing authority’s housing list, notify the housing authority of application that it wishes to change one, or more than one, area of choice in the application area and a household may change one, or more than one, such area not less than 12 months after its most recent change of an area of choice. An applicant does not lose any time on the list by changing their area of choice.
Generally, is not possible for a household previously on one social housing waiting list to carry the time spent on that list when applying to another local authority. However, local authorities may provide for exceptional or emergency cases to qualified households, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting lists priorities, should circumstances require. They may also reserve a certain proportion of dwellings for, among other things, allocation to particular categories of households, particular forms of tenure, and households transferring from other forms of social housing support.
In June 2022, the Department of Justice published Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV 2022-2026 which is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency plan with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice . As an action in this strategy, my Department committed to a review of the 2017 Policy and Procedural Guidance for Housing Authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs in order to ensure continuing effectiveness and consistency in responses to assist victims of domestic violence. My Department is currently engaging with Cuan, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Agency in relation to this review and proposed recommendations arising from the review.
