Recommendations for Income Eligibility Threshold for Social Housing Support

The purpose of this summary report is to review the indicators and the methodology used to underpin the income eligibility thresholds established by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in the 2011 Social Housing Assessment Regulations. Section 2 of the report updates and, where necessary, expands upon the parameters utilised to inform the National Income Eligibility Baseline for social housing support, taking into account geographical variations in market rents and income limits. Section 3 examines the potential impact of suggested changes to the current income limits on households currently on the social housing waiting list and Section 4 considers the potential impact of an adjustment to the income limits on the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Section 5 outlines the report’s conclusions, while additional statistical tables are provided in the Appendices.