A MONTHLY payment for homeowners who provide accommodation to people fleeing the Ukraine war looks set to be cut.
Currently, there are over 15,000 households across Ireland receiving the tax free €800 monthly payment straight into their bank accounts for providing housing to around 36,000 Ukrainians.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment was originally introduced in 2022 with a rate of €400 as an emergency measure after the government struggled to find housing for Ukrainians and other people who arrived here.
The ARP, which is exempt from means-testing for social welfare payments and grants, is now paid at the higher amount of €800.
It is available to those hosting in their own home, those providing accommodation in a vacant property and people who made hosting arrangements privately or through the Irish Red Cross.
However, with the scheme set to end on March 31, Minister for Integration Norma Foley and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan have both signalled that changes are on the way.
A decision on the scheme’s future is due to made shortly, with the payment expected to be extended over fears that tens of thousands of Ukrainians could all lose their accommodation at once.
It is also possible that the €800 monthly payment could be cut to €600.
A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Integration confirmed that the future of the scheme will be “considered in the context of the continued whole of Government response to the war in Ukraine“.
Angie Gough, co-founder of Helping Irish Hosts – an organisation that supports hosts throughout the country and their Ukrainian guests – told RTE that they want the payment to be extended for 12 months.
She said: “Right from the beginning of this, and each time people don’t hear what’s coming down the line, or don’t get a clear indication about what’s about to happen next, it just makes things makes people feel more anxious.
“We need a clear messaging around what happens next for people.”
‘PROBLEMS OF UNFAIRNESS’
However, Sinn Fein has urged the government to end the scheme on March 31.
Sinn Fein spokesperson on Home Affairs Matt Carthy said the scheme was “commendable” when set up initially, but claimed that it is now putting ordinary renters “at a severe disadvantage”.
He said: “The Accommodation Recognition Payment scheme for Ukrainians is creating serious problems of unfairness in the private rented sector, as Sinn Fein had predicted.
“In many areas, including my own constituency, where rents have traditionally been lower than in the large urban centres, it is placing families and those seeking to rent private accommodation at a severe disadvantage because landlords are able to get €800 tax free from the state, which is equivalent to €1,600 rent from any other tenant which is taxable.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR ARP?
THE monthly ARP of €800 is paid per property, not for each person hosted.
Those who qualify must:
- be aged 18 or over
- provide (or have provided) accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive
- have provided the host accommodation in Ireland and have a valid Eircode
- be the owner of or a tenant in the host accommodation being provided and have the consent of any other owners or tenants
- declare that this accommodation meets the minimum set of standards
- commit to offering this accommodation for a minimum period of six months
There must be at least one person being hosted on the last day of the month for which payment is due and those who wish to apply do not have to be Garda vetted.
The scheme is not payable if there is a rental agreement with the person being hosted and it is not affected if the person being hosted contributes towards costs such as utilities and food.
“The end result of this is that people cannot find places to rent in their own home towns.
“This issue is a growing problem in towns in many parts of rural constituencies in particular, and is creating a tension that we, quite frankly, could do without.”
McCarthy added: “I look forward to an early pronouncement from the Minister and the government on how they intend to move forward as the scheme is due to lapse in a number of weeks unless it is again extended by government.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, around 113,600 Ukrainians have been granted temporary protection in Ireland and, although some returned home, the CSO estimates that around 85k remain.
