Social housing support provided by local authorities

Local authorities are the main providers of social housing support for people who cannot afford to buy their own homes.

Social housing support is provided through a number of different schemes. As well as traditional local authority housing, support is provided via the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) .

Housing Associations and housing co-operatives, known as approved housing bodies also provide social housing for people unable to provide accommodation from their own resources.

You can apply to your local authority for social housing support if you meet certain conditions of eligibility and need, including income limits.

Local authorities do not administer the Rent Supplement Scheme. It is administered by the Department of Social Protection. This is a short term income support measure to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source.

Further information on Rent Supplement is available from the [external-link https://www.gov.ie/en/service/fb3b13-rent-supplement/ | Department of Social Protection. ]