any renters in Co. Meath and across the country are “reeling from the recent government decision to axe the Tenant in Situ scheme”.
The scheme allowed local authorities purchase homes where tenants were at risk of eviction, providing security for individuals and families who would otherwise face homelessness.
Aontú Cllr Emer Tóibín says
“I have received countless calls from desperately worried renters who are living in state of uncertainty and fear, now that they have received notice to quit from their landlords.
“Pulling this scheme has truly pulled the rug from under already vulnerable people. These are working families, pensioners, those on lower incomes who simply cannot find affordable alternatives in the private rental market. The suspension of this scheme is yet another example of a government that talks about tackling homelessness but then pulls this vital safety net away from so many
Insecure tenancy casts a dark cloud over many renters and can leave them at their wits end and living in dread of being evicted.
I have been contacted by tenants in Meath who are now left in limbo having received the dreaded notice to quit. They have no idea what faces them over the weeks and months ahead. It is a horrible situation for them and the government could reverse this terrible decision to suspend the scheme if they had any real sense of leadership, decency or indeed any economic sense.
As well as putting ordinary people through hell, the Government will now have to shell out for expensive emergency accommodation for them. It doesn’t make sense on any level.
As a result of the Government’s ineptitude and inertia, more people will be forced into emergency accommodation—at an enormous cost to the state and devastating personal consequences for those affected by this desperately retrograde step.
The government knew that new funding targets needed to be agreed upon before the election was called, yet they failed to act, leaving local authorities powerless to protect tenants. Can you believe what you are reading? The outgoing government did not agree on new funding targets in time. So that was the end of the tenant in situ scheme and a secure roof over peoples’ heads. This is a damning inditement of the last government and really not much has changed with the current incumbents.
I am calling on the government to immediately reinstate funding for the Tenant in Situ scheme and to provide clarity to those who have been left waiting in fear of eviction. Every delay worsens the crisis, and Meath tenants deserve certainty, security, and action – not utterly shallow, cold and meaningless excuses”.
