The Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2023 brings together information provided by local authorities on households in their functional area that are qualified for social housing support but whose social housing need is not currently being met. It is a point-in-time assessment of the identified need for social housing support across the country.
Purpose of the Assessment: This is a statutory assessment to count the total number of households qualified for social housing support across the country on 1 November 2023, in order to better inform policy and plan for the delivery of the right types of housing support.
‘Net need’ or the total number of households qualified: This is the total number of households qualifying for social housing support whose social housing need is not being met. All the figures in this report are based on net need. The methodology used to produce these figures is outlined on pages 15-17.
Criteria: Households must be qualified for social housing support. Households currently living in local authority rented or Approved Housing Body (AHB) accommodation, or accommodation provided under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) or the Social Housing Capital Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) or any household on a transfer list, are not included in the total number.
From 1 January 2023, an increase of €5,000 applied to all social housing income thresholds. These thresholds are now €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for Bands 1, 2 and 3 respectively (see gov - Social Housing Support: Table of Income Limits (www.gov.ie) for full list of income thresholds by band and local authority).
You can read the full report at this link - Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2023 - FINAL.pdf (housingagency.ie)