Voluntary Housing

Voluntary Housing

Voluntary housing is supported by local authorities and the Department of the Environment and Local Government under two separate schemes as follows:

Capital Assistance Scheme

Under this scheme, voluntary housing bodies provide accommodation, generally one or two bedroomed units, to meet special housing needs such as those of the elderly, disabled, homeless or smaller families. The voluntary housing body decide on the type of housing projects/services they will provide having regard to local needs and are responsible for tenancy allocations in consultation with the local authority.

A minimum of 75% of the houses in each project are reserved for persons whose applications for local authority housing have been approved by the local authority, homeless persons, or local authority tenants and tenant purchasers who return their dwellings to the local authority. The remaining houses in a pojrect are let to people nominated by the voluntary housing body. Rents are determined having regard to tenants means and the cost of managing and maintaining the dwellings.

Rental Subsidy Scheme

Under this scheme, voluntary housing bodies provide housing for renting, particularly to meet the needs of low-income families.

The houses are let by the voluntary housing bodies to persons whose applications for local authority housing have been approved by the local authority. 75% of tenancies in each project are reserved for households whose total household income in the previous income tax year did not exceed €15,237.

Rents are related to your ability to pay, taking account of household earnings and circumstances. Tenants of the houses are centrally involved in the management of their estates.